■i..i^>-^^''^'AU<M'   '•--**>^^^^ 


RCBINSGN 
Speech  in  Exposition  of  Ke 
Hampshire  Democracy 


SPEECH 


or 


WILLIAM  E.  ROBINSON, 


1  m  EXPOSITION  OF 

NEW  HAMPSHIRE  DEMOCRACY 

IN  ITS  RELATIONS  TO 

CATHOLIC    EMANCIPATION, 

INCLUDING  A 

SCRUTINY  OF  THE  PART  TAKEN  WITH  REFERENCE  THERETO, 

BY 

GEN.  ERANKLIN  PIERCE. 

AND 

AN   EXPOSURE 

OF  THE 

FALSE  PEETENCES  AND  FALSE  ASSERTIONS 

OF 

GEO.  M.  DALLAS  AND  OTHERS. 

RESPECTING  THE 

ACTION  OF  THE  WHIGS  OF  NEW  HAMPSHIRE. 


i.^,Bj-    *^4^B^P^4 


NEW    YORK: 
PUBLISHED   AT  THE  TRIBUNE  OFEICE, 

i^  154    NASSAU    STREET. 

1852. 


PKICE  $10  PER  THOUSAND,  $1.25  PER  HUNDRED,  2  CENTS  A  SINGLE  COP'' 


1 


SPEECH 


WILLIAM  E.  ROBINSON, 

EW-HAMPSHIEE  DEMOCRACY  AKD  CATHOLIC 
EMANCIPATION. 


At  a  large  and  spirited  meeting  of  the  Scott  and  Graham  Clubs  of  the  IVth 
Congressional  District  of  this  City,  held  at  the  North  American  Hotel  on  Friday  evening  last, 
(Aug  6,)  Wm.  E.  Robinson,  Esq.  of  this  City,  spoke  as  follows  : 


Mr.  RoEmsoN  said  he  had  just  returned 
from  Concord,  New-Hampshire,  where  he  had  exam- 
ined the  fountains  of  Democracy.  He  referred  to  the 
■peech  made  by  George  M.  Dallas,  In  the  Museum  at 
Philadelphia,  June  7,  '52,  In  which  that  gentlaouan  (aid  : 

"The  aspersion  against  Pierce  of  having  favored  the 
Cathohc  teat,  still  retained  in  the  Consutution  of  New- 
Harapsliife  is  a  weak  invention  of  a  frightened  enemy.  He 
said  it  was  true  such  a  pro%nsiun,  excluding  Catholics  from 
oocupfing  a  seat  in  the  Legislature  or  becoming  Governor, 
was  engrafted  on  the  Constitution  of  that  State,  but  it  wa« 
also  true  that  Levi  WoodDury  and  Franklin  Pierce  had  ob- 
tained the  paasaee  of  laws  providing  for  the  holding  of  two 
State  Conven'ions  to  amend  that  Constitution.  In  both 
cases  an  amended  Constitution  was  submitted  to  the  vote  of 
the  People,  but  a  two-tbird  vote  being  requisite,  it  was  de- 
feated oy  a  combination  of  Whigs  and  Aboliiionista." 

Mr.  RoblnaoD  also  quoted  from  the  speech  of  Cbarlei 
O'Conor,  of  this  City,  made  In  Tammany  Hail,  on  the 
evening  of  June  9,  and  published  In  The  Trvth-TtUm 
of  July  3,  In  which  he  Bald  that  Franklin  Pierce  comes 
recommended 

"  By  all  his  antecedents  and  all  his  connections.  He  is  the 
son  of  Benjamin  Pierce.  *  *  *  He  (Franklin  Pierce) 
and  his  political  associates  broiiriht  forward  an  amendment 
aloli^hing  this  (the  Anti-Catholic)  unjust— this  odious  dis 
tinction.  *  *  *  By  me&m  of  his  zealous  advocacy,  this 
betjign  reform  was  adnnted  by  the  Convention.  He  also  ad- 
vocatei  it  at  the  polls.  *  «  *  When  religious  libeit; 
needed  a  champion,  he  was  found  in  Franklin  Pierce  " 

Mr.  R.  also  referred  to  thii  assertion  of  Mr.  O'Conor, 
that  his  latest  Information  was  from  Fratiklln  Pierce, 
who  expressed  a  strong  hope  that  CatholIceaiaDclpBtloD 
had  been  or  would  be  carried  In  New-Hampshire,  and 
•aid  that  these  assertloDS  of  Messrs.  Dalai  and  O'Conor 
were  now  received  throughout  the  country,  and  unfor- 
tunately some  Whig  papers,  deceived  by  the  respecta- 
bility of  the  authority,  bad  joined  in  receiving  them  as 
acknowledged  public  opinion,  though  there  was  not  one 
word  of  truth  la  elthnr  assertion. 

EIGHT  PROPOSITIONS. 

On  the  contrary,  Mr.  Robinson  laid  dov^nthe  following 
propnsidons,  and  so  earnest  was  he  in  challenging  an  in- 
TestlgHtlon,  that  he  announced  that  he  would  deposit,  In 
the  hands  of  Shneon  Draper,  ont  hundred  dollars  to  be 


forfeited  and  given  up  t»  any  one  that  would  prove  that 
In  any  one  of  these  propositions  he  misstated  the  facts. 
The  decision  to  be  leit  to  Robert  Emmet. 

1.  Franklin  Pierce  did  not  speak  at  alP.  In  favor  of 
Catholic  Emancipation  during  the  whole  time  the  Cath- 
ode test  was  before  the  Convention. 

2.  He  had  nothing  to  do  with  "  brlnglug  forward"  the 
subject.    The  resolution  abolishing  the  test  was  drawn 
up  by  Mr.  Parker,  of  Nnshua.  a  fVhi/f.  and  was  "  brought 
forward"  by  Mr.  Parker  Nov.  13,  when  It  was  dlscusied  ■ 
In  Convention. 

3.  It  was  known  throughout  New-Hampshire  that 
Catholic  Emancipation  v/a»Ji7ially  defeated  by  »n  over- 
whelming vote  some  eight  or  tun  weeks  before  Mr. 
O'Conor  spoke  in  Tammany  Hall. 

4.  When  Religious  Liberty  needed  a  champion  Gen. 
Pierce  was  found — wanttcg.  Though  a/tfr  Catholla 
Emancipation  had  been  carrirdln  Coavpution  he  found 
time,  while  making  a  speech  on  the  Prr.perty  Qualifl 
don,  to  excuse  and  apologise  for  the  test  hinotry  by  s»y 
Ing  it  was  a  dead  letter  and  a  blttnk,  which  was  timplv 
stating  that  Catholics  would  perjure  themselves  to  eel 
Into  office,  by  swearing  to  support  a  Constitution  which 
expressly  shut  them  out 

5.  That  so  far  from  all  bis  "  antecedents"  being  right, 
his  fnther,  BHnjamin  Pierce,  voted  to  put  the  anti-Cstlio 
lie  clause  into  the  Cotstltuiion,  and  voted  for  the  AUeiJ 
and  Sedition  Laws  of  old  John  Adams  I 

6.  That  so  far  frf.ra  Catholic  Emancipation  falling 
only  for  want  of  a  twfvthtrds  vote,  It  had  not  one-si.'itb 
of  the  votes  cast  throughout  the  State  at  the  same  elec- 
tion for  Governor,  and  did  not  come  near  a  simple  ma- 
jority of  the  small  vote  cast  on  this  question. 

7.  That  in  place  of  there  hoing  any  high  confidence 
In  New-Hampsblra  of  Catholic  Emancipatiun  being  car- 
ried, tte  gennr^l  opinion  is,  that  unless  we  draw  a  line 
around  New- Hnmpshiro,  saying,  that  while  the  plague- 
tpot  is  OD  her,  and  the  ship  is  unpuritied,  no  man,  captain 
Qor  crew,  shall  land,  and  thus,  by  the  defeat  of  General 
Pierce,  bring  his  bigotted  party  to  their  senses,  the 
Catholics  in  that  State  stand  no  chance  of  being  Eman- 
cipated for  half  a  century. 

8.  And  in  s  word,  in  fine,  that  the  father,  Benjamin 
Pierce,  was  a  red  hot  enemy  of  the  Catholic*,  and  a 
supporter  of  the  Allen  and  Sedition  acts,  and  that 
Franklin  Pierce,  the  young  chicken,  so  learned  to 
follow  the  old  one  that  tie  raised  not  a  voice  in 
favor  of  «boll«hln«  his  father's  bigotry,  during  tne  whole 
time  the  subject  was  under  discussion  In  a  Convention 
of  whl^b  he  was  a  Iraoing  member  and  President. 

Mr.  Robinson  referred  to  the  fact  that  in  the  Loco-Fo- 


WILLIAM   E.    EOEINSON'S   SPEECH 


00  Baltimore  Convention  there  were  Bome  thirteen  can- 
dldatei  t'ound  with  marks  of  popular  favor  upon'  them. 
TWO-THIRDS  DEMOCRACY. 
A  dog  in  hydrophobia  could  not  have  manlfeited 
more  rage  at  the  tight  of  water  than  these  arlttocratle 
Baltimore  Delegates  exhibited  toward  everything  on 
which  was  the  mark  of  popular  favor.  Nor  did  the 
"phobia"  get  off  till  every  veetige  of  popular  favur  was 
removed  from  their  si^ht,  and  burled  beneath  the  aris- 
tocratic device  of  a  two-thirds  rule.  And  then  a  shout 
went  up,  not  that  anybody  bad  won,  but  that  everybody 
had  been  defeated,  and  that  everbody's  favorite  was 
dead. 

THE  OLD  CANT. 

Mr.  Robinson  disclaimed  any  wish  to  use  epithets,  but 
he  knew  that  the  whole  pnilticai  capital  of  the  Pierce 
party  was  bogus  ;  and  without  Intending  to  apply  the 
epltnet  to  any  one,  when  he  feund  afalsehood  or  a  forg- 
ery he  would  call  it  so.  If  he  did  not  expose  falsehood 
and  forgery,  he  would  be  false  to  hii  native  and  adopted 
eountrles,  and  false  to  the  cause  of  true  republicanism. 
He  hid  labored  through  12  years  of  his  life  in  this  coun- 
try, with  all  the  strength  wUich  God  had  given  him,  to 
ti'eart  down  all  sorts  of  bigotry,  political  and  religious, 
and  he  would  continue  in  the  same  path  in  despite  of 
ell  the  abuse  and  mlsrepreeentation  which  he  had  al- 
ready met  and  would  yet  have  to  encounter  from  some 
unprincipled  presses  to  which  he  referred,  but  which  he 
said  he  scorned — as  conscious  rectitude  can  well  afford 
to  scorn— the  rusted  shafts  of  calumny  failing  from  Im- 
penetrable shield. 

He  referred  to  the  forgery  and  falsehood  with  which 
naturalized  citizens  were  appealed  to  against  Harrison 
and  Taylor,  which  history  has  proved  lo  be  false,  as 
history  will  yet  prove  the  charges  against  Gen.  Scott 
false.  He  pictured  the  blood-hound  venom  with  which 
these  same  pack  of  slanderers  hunted  Henry  Clay  into 
a  grave  which  even  their  superhuman  malignity  could 
not  rob  of  its  transcendent  glory,  end  around  which 
these  same  blood-noucds,  now  changed  into  crocodiles, 
pretend  to  shed  oceans  of  tears  at  the  death  of  one  who, 
while  living,  they  tried  to  make  naturalized  citizens  be- 
lieve was  worthy  of  a  dog's  burial  in  place  of  posthumus 
honors.  To  what  Ipngtha  must  our  patience  be  abused 
as  naturalized  citizens?  How  long  shall  we  be  insulted 
by  being  put  to  draw  the  water  with  which  to  drown, 
or  hew  the  wood  with  which  to  con-auxne  the  altars 
reared  In  American  hearts  to  a  Clay  and  a  Scstt, 
to  raise  In  their  stead  altars  to  the  idola  of  a  Polk 
and  a  Pierce  1  How  long  will  it  be  expected  that  we 
shall  palsy  or  break  the  arm  that  humbled  the  pride  of 
England,  to  raise  and  sustain  the  arm  which  refused  to 
move  a  muscle  to  remove  the  disgrace  which  the  elder 
Pierce  had  fastened  on  the  necks  of  all  but  one  sect  In 
New-Hampshire? 

One  great  falsehood  of  this  Campaign  Is  saying  that 
Franklin  Pierce  advocated  Catholic  Emancipation  when 
It  was  before  the  late  New-Hampshire  Convention.  The 
great  forgery  of  the  Campaign  is  the  pretended  letter 
of  Gen.  Scott  to  George  W.  Reed,  on  Nativism. 

NfiW-HAMPSHIRE  CONSTITUTIONAL  HISTORY. 

And  here  Mr.  R  gave  a  sketch  of  the  Constitutional 
ffistory  of  New-Hampshire.    He  said  : 

Tae  first  Constitution  was  formed  In  Exeter  in  1776, 
and  was  called  the  "  Temporary  Constitution."  I  read 
It  In  manuscript,  and  found  In  it  no  anti- Catholic  test, 
BO  thai  we  had  no  bigotry  till  after  the  Revobaion.  This 
Temporary  Constitution  continued  for  eight  years 
and  six  months. 

In  1778,  a  Convention  was  called  to  meet  at  Concord, 
and  submitted  the  form  of  a  Constitution  to  the  people 
In  1779,  and  that  was  rejected.  Another  was  formed 
and  submitted  in  1781,  and  that  also  was  rejected. 
Another  was  formed  in  1782,  and  that  too  was  rejected- 
A  fourth  form  was  agreed  upon,  and  this  was  accepted 
by  a  two-thirds  vote.  It  was  known  as  the  "  New  Con- 
stitution." 

Tbls  continued  In  force  till  1792,  when  another  Con- 
•tlcution  was  adopted,  which  still  continues  in  force,  and 
is  the  one  to  amend  which  the  attempt  was  made  In 
1860-52,  and  this  Is  called  "  The  Revised  C(^»titutlon." 

CONSTITUTION  OF  1792. 
.    And  thli  brings  us  to  the  opening  of  the  Pierce  dynas- 


ty in  New-Hampshire.    We  shall  find,  henceforth,  the 
name  of  Pierce  and  bigotry  concomitant. 

The  Convention  to  revise  the  New  Constitution  met 
at  Concord,  September  7, 1791.  Amoog  its  members,  I 
find  several  of  the  old  Revolutionary  names,  and  promi- 
nent among  them  Maj.  Benjamin  Pierce,  (as  he  is  put 
down.)  of  Hillsborough,  the  father  of  Franklin  Pleice. 
I  find  also,  Jeremiah  Smith,  of  Peterborouah,  Aaron 
Greeley,  of  Hopkinton,  Major  C^ieb  Stark,  of  Dunbar- 
ton  and  Bow,  &,c.  Samuel  Livermore,  of  Holderness, 
was  chosen  President,  and  John  Calfe,  of  Hampetead, 
Secretary.  ' 

On  the  second  day  of  the  seeaion,  a  motion  was  made 
to  strike  out  the  sixth  article  (as  it  now  standi)  in  the 
Bill  of  Rights,  proTlding  for  "  the  support  and  mainten- 
ance of  the  public  Protestant  teachers."  The  yeas  were 
14,  (Greeley,  Stark,  Whipple,  Hutchins,  i:c.,  among  the 
yeas.)  The  Nays  were  88,  and  Benj-ajmin  Pieeck, 
Franklin's  father,  and  Charles  O'Conor's  respected  and 
confided-in  "antecedent,"  voted  against  Religious 
Liberty. 

September  10,  the  fourth  day  of  the  Convention,  a 
motlo^  was  made  to  strike  out  from  section  14,  under 
form  of  government  (as  it  now  stands)  prescribing 
qualiiicatrons  for  members  of  the  House  of  Representa- 
tives, the  words  "  shall  be  of  the  Protestant  Religion." 
Upon  this  the  Yeas  and  Nays  were  taken  :  Yeas  for  Re- 
ligious Liberty  33,  and  among  them  Jeremiah  Smith, 
Aaron  Greeley,  William  Plumer,  Caleb  Stark,  &«. 
Nays,  for  the  Penal  Laws  and  Anti-Popery,  51,  and 
among  them  Benjamin  Pikece,  Franklin's  father, 
and  Charles  O'Conor's  favorite  antecedent,  A  form  of 
a  Constitution  was  finally  agreed  upon,  and  was  or- 
dered to  be  submitted  to  the  people  on  the  first  Monday 
In  May,  1792,  and  the  Convention  adjourned  till  the 
30th  of  the  same  month. 

On  the  first  day  of  June,  1792,  the  votes  of  the  people 
were  counted,  and  it  was  found  that  some  parts  of  the 
constitution  were  accepted,  and  some  parts  rejected, 
for  want  of  a  two-thirds  vote,  (that  Loco-Foco  two-third 
rule  is  an  awfal  thing  I)  and  It  further  appeared  that 
some  of  the  propositions  rejected  were  necessary  to 
make  sense  of  those  accepted,  so  that  a  committee,  ap- 
pointed to  bring  order  out  of  that  confusion,  reported 
that  the  parts  accepted  and  approved  by  the  people 
"  were  inconsistent  with  the  constitution  and  with  each 
other,"  yet,  as  the  people  had  accepted  them,  nobody 
eould  dare  despise  them. 

The  report  of  the  Convention  which  I  exsmined  is  a 
volume,  partly  in  manuscript  and  partly  in  print,  which 
is  preserved  with  great  care  in  the  Secretary  of  State's 
oflice  ;  but  it  does  not  give  the  precise  form  in  which 
the  clauses  rejected  were  submitted  to  the  people.  It 
seems,  however,  that  notwithstanding  Pierce's  anti- 
Popery  penal  votes,  the  term  Protestant  was  omitted 
In  the  qualifications  for  some  otSces  for  which,  it  Is  prob- 
able, they  were  rejected.  Be  this  as  It  may,  a  commit- 
tee was  appointed  to  recommend  what  new  amend- 
ments should  be  adopted  to  please  the  people.  That 
committee  reported  pretty  much  the  same  old  dish,  re- 
hashed and  additionally  ^peppered  with  Protestantism 
and  property,  to  suit  the  taste  of  the  Pierce  epicures, 
and  was  submitted  again  to  the  people  on  the  27th  of 
August,  1792. 

SUBMITTED  10  THE  PEOPLE.  ■ 
The  Convention  met  finally  at  Concord,  September  5, 
1792,  when  the  votes  were  counted,  and  it  was  found 
that  the  whole  number  of  votes  cast  was  3,100,  of  which 
2,122  were  for,  and  978  against  the  Constimtion.  It  was 
thus  carried  by  about  55  votes  more  than  the  necessary 
two-thirds  vole,  so  that  if  there  had  been  only  28  addition- 
al votes  against  this  bigoted  and  disgraceful  Constitution, 
it  would  have  been  defeated. 

It  is  remarkable  that  on  the  vote  on  this  Constitution, 
excluding  Catholics  from  office,  some  of  the  towns  that 
are  row  Whig  voted  very  decidedly  against  it.  Tbu« 
the  Whig  town  of  Exeter  gave  59  votes  against  It  and 
not  one  lor  it.  The  Whig  town  of  Dover  gave  43  voifs 
against  it,  and  only  24  for  U.  While  the  Loco  Foco 
town  of  Giimanton  gave  41  votes  for  it  and  not  one 
against  it  The  Loco  Foco  town  of  New-Durham  gave 
14  votes  for  it  and  not  one  against  it.  The  Loco  Foco 
town  of  Hillsborougb — Benj<imin  Pierce's  adopted  town, 
and  of  which  he  was  the  Representative,  and  Franklin 
Pierce's  native  town,  and  which  he  afterward  repre- 
sented in  the  Legislature — gave  16  for  it  and  not  one 


©N    CATHOLIC   EMANCIPATION. 


against  it.  Had  it  been  necessary  for  eome  DaUa«  to 
make  an  excuse  tor  the  adoption  of  tbat  Constitution, 
ha  nrould  have  taid  tbat  it  was  owing  to  some  mysce- 
rious  combination  of  cyphers  like  the  above  that  pre- 
vented the  two-third  units  from  defeating  themselves. 

There's  the  record,  as  I  found  it  in  a  carefully  pre- 
served book  in  the  office  of  the  Secretary  of  State  at 
Concord,  in  New-Hampshire,  and  there's  the  commend- 
able "  antecedent "  of  Franklin  Pierce. 

WHAT  IS  THIS  CONSTITUTION? 

And  thus  was  formed  the  Constitution  which  is  now 
in  lull  force  in  one  of  the  States  of  our  American 
Union,  which  claims  that  the  American  people  must,  by 
a  two-ihlrds  rule,  kill  ott'  Cass,  Buchanan  and  Douglas 
to  make  room  for  the  son  of  the  father  who  fr«med  that 
blgited  Instrument,  and  for  the  leader  of  the  party 
which  refuies  to  exert  Itself  f  >r  its  modification. 

There  are  two  or  three  points  in  this  Constitution  to 
which  I  wish  to  draw  public  attention.  I  copy  from 
the  official  copy  printed  in  1852  by  the  State  printers: 

Bill  of  Rights. — Section  6  authorizes  the  towns,  &c. 
to  make  pr  ivi^ton  "for  the  support  and  maintenance 
of  public  ProUstant  teachers  of  piety,  religion  and  mor- 
ality." 

FoEM  OF  Government. — Section  14.  "  Every  mem- 
ber of  the  House  of  Representatives  «  *  *  shall  be 
of  the  Protestant  religion,  and  shall  cease  to  represent 
such  town,  parish  or  place  Immediately  on  ceasing  to 
be  qualified  as  aforesaid." 

Section  29.  "Provided,  nevertheless,  that  no  person 
shall  be  capable  of  being  elected  a  Senator  who  is  not 
of  the  Protestant  religion." 

Section  42.  "  The  Governor  *  *  *  shall  be  of  the 
Protestant  religion." 

Section  61.  "  And  the  qualification  for  Counsellors 
■hall  be  the  same  as  for  Senator." 

Sec.  99.  ItshsUbethaduty  of  the  Selectmen  and  Assessors 
ef  the  several  towns  and  places  in  this  State,  in  waraine;  the 
first  annual  meetings  for  the  choice  of  Senators,  after  the  ex- 
piration of  ssven  years  from  the  adoption  of  this  Constitu 
tion,  aa  amended,  to  iuaert  expiesalyin  the  wacraut  this 
purpose,  aiHong  the  others,  for  the  meeting,  to  wit :  to  take 
the  sense  of  the  qualified  voters  on  the  subject  of  a  revision 
of  the  CoDstitution  :  and  the  meeting  being  warned  accord- 
ingly, and  n  )t  otherwise,  the  moderator  shall  take  the  sense 
of  the  qualified  voters  present  as  to  the  necessity  of  a  revis- 
ion; and  a 'etum  of  the  number  of  votes  for  and  against 
such  necessity  shall  be  made  by  the  Clerk,  scaled  up  and  di- 
rected to  the  General  Court  at  their  tinen  next  session ;  and 
if  it  shall  appear  to  the  General  Court  by  such  return,  that 
the  sense  of  the  people  of  the  State  has  been  taken,  and  that 
in  the  opinion  of  the  majority  of  the  qualified  voi^ers  in  the 
State,  present  and  voting  at  said  meetings,  there  is  a  neces- 
sity for  a  revision  of  the  Conifituilon,  It  shall  be  the  duty  of 
the  General  Court  to  call  a  Convention  for  that  purpose; 
otherwise  the  Geneial  Court  shall  direct  the  s^nse  of  the 
people  to  be  taken,  and  then  proceed  In  the  manner  before 
mentioned.  The  delegates  to  be  chosen  in  the  same  man- 
ner, and  proportioned  as  the  Representatives  to  the  General 
Court;  provided,  that  no  alterations  shall  be  mste  in  this 
Constitution  befjre  the  same  shall  be  laid  before  the  tovns 
and  unincorporated  places,  and  approved  by  two-thirds  of 
the  qualified  voters  present  and  voting  on  the  subject. 

Sec.  IOII.  And  the  same  method  of  taking  the  sense  of  the 
people  as  to  a  revision  of  the  Constitution,  and  calling  a  Con- 
vention for  that  purpose,  shall  be  observed  afterwards,  at  tb« 
expiration  of  every  seven  years. 

HONEST  OPINIONS  ON  IT. 
Now,  then,  here  la  the  Constitution  of  the  State  of 
New- Hampshire,  featerinjt  in  its  bigotry  1q  religion  and 
aristocracy  in  property,  under  the  blaze  of  the  noon 
of  the  19ch  century,  and  uochangod,  and  withnut  at- 
tempt to  change  it,  from  1792  to  18.'50  ;  and  yet  for  over 
half  a  century — during  which  time  Benj.  Pierce  was 
member  of  thf>  Legislaturo,  Cnunsellor  and  Governor, 
and  Franklin  Pierce,  for  a  period  of  over  twenty  years, 
was  the  leading  man  of  the  party  in  power,  member  of 
the  Legislature,  (toe  same  year  his  father  was  (lovorn- 
or,)  and  Speaker  of  the  House  of  Representatives  the 
two  succeeding  years — for  over  a  dreary  hilf  century  of 
penal  laws,  no  member  of  the  Pierce  family  made  one 
single  speech  urging  tbe  justice  of  Catholic  emancipation 
Nay,  more.  It  will  be  seen  that  a  bare  in'ijoiity  of  the 
people  could  have  ordered  the  Conititutlnn  amended 
every  seventh  year  by  a  simple  mnjority,  and  leerc  bound 
to  vote  every  seventh  year  whether  the  Constitution 
should  be  amended.  Four  times  did  these  seven  year 
trials  occur  since  Franklin  Pierce  waa  elected  a  member 


and  Speaker  of  the  House  of  Representatives,  yet 
dumb  aa  an  oyster  and  dark  as  a  dungeon  did  he  keep 
himself.  Thus  did  be  champion  the  cause  of  R>-  liglous 
Liberty.  Well  may  every  Catholic  say  to  Mr.  Pierce  In 
the  language  of  Israel's  Inspired  Proverbiet — "  B'^cautie 
1  have  called  and  ye  refused.  »  *  *  I  also  will  laugh 
at  your  calamity  ;  I  will  mock  when  your  tear  Ccmeth.'' 

Let  us  see  what  this  New-Hampshire  enormity  is.  It 
Is  an  enormity  in  the  eyes  of  all  men,  not  only  Catholics, 
but  liberal  Republicans  of  all  sects.  It  is  the  penal  and 
test  idea  of  the  House  uf  Brunswick  and  Guelph.  It  is 
the  enormity  which  the  British  Tory  Administration  of 
Peel  and  Wellington  abolished  for  Irish  Calhullcs  in  ltf29, 
when  Franklin  Pl«rce  first  lo'ik  bin  seat  In  the  New- 
Hampshire  Legislature.  New-Iiampshire  Loco  Fuco- 
ism  remiins  to-day  more  bigoted  and  besotted  than 
British  Toryism  was  23  years  ago,  and  Lord  Roden, 
Tresham  Gregg  or  Lord  John  Russell  has  stronger 
claims  than  tranklia  Pierce  has  to  true  Kepublicnn 
votes,  for  their  parlies  (Tories  though  they  be;  opened 
the  door  of  the  British  Parliament  te  Caihollcs,  while 
New-Hampshire  refuses  to  open  ber  Legislature.  If 
Thomas  Francis  Meagher  should  get  naturallz-  d  there,  if 
Charles  Carroll,  of  Carrollton,  toe  last  living  signer  of 
our  Declaration  of  Independence  h»d  cheien  to  reside 
there,  or  if  our  present  Chief  Justice  of  the  Supreme 
Court  of  the  United  States,  Hon.  Roger  B.  Tanej,  should 
choose  to  live  there,  one  and  all  would  be  excluded 
from  the  right  to  a  seat  In  the  New-Hampshire  two-pen- 
ny Legislature,  unless  they  perjured  themtelves,  or 
foreswore  their  creed—  and  this  Is  the  kind  of  Democra- 
cy which  every  man  endorses  who  votes  for  Franklin 
Pierce,  the  loader  of  that  Democracy  in  New-Hamp- 
shire whom  the  Loco-Foco  Press  informs  us  it  was  in- 
tended to  compliment  by  his  nomination.  Well  might 
Judge  Woodbury  say,  as  he  did  in  the  New-Hampehlre 
Constitutional  Convention,  that  this  New-Hampshire 
enormity  branded  the  Catholic,  "  though  educated,  and 
talented,  and  virtuous,  with  infamy  and  disgrace,  and 
sent  him  and  his  family  through  our  streets  and  social 
circles,  marked  like  Gala,  as  a  sort  of  degraded  outcatt 
or  helot,  not  fit  to  be  intrusted  with  either  legislative  o» 
executive  rights,  though  bestowed  fuUy  on  the  most  Ig- 
norant and  reprobate." 

PIERCE'S  OPINION  OF  IT. 

Such  was  the  uplulon  of  Judge  Woodbury,  such  is  the 
oplnioQ  of  every  honest  republican  of  every  sect.  Now 
what  has  been  Franklin  Pierce's  denunciation  of  the 
enormity  ?  Did  he  concur  with  Judge  Woodbury  in  de- 
nouncing It  as  a  disgrace  ? 

Truly,  no.  We  are  told  that  old  Benjamin  Pierce  got 
Franklin  Pierce  tj  write  his  messages,  as  he  could  not 
even  spell  the  word  "but"  This  is  quite  likely.  Well, 
Frankhn  Pierce  was  a  member  of  the  Legislature  In 
1829.  In  June,  1829,  Benjamin  Pierce,  being  Guvemor 
of  the  State,  Sf-nt  in  his  annuiii  message  to  the  House  of 
Representatives,  of  which  this  Franhlip  Pierce  was  a 
leading  member.  Well,  this  Franklin  Pierce,  in  thai 
annual  message  of  bis  lather,  said,  just  after  swear- 
ing to  a  constitution  which  excludes  Catholics  from  the 
four  principal  offices  of  the  State  : 

'To  look  abroad  and  liehold  every  citizen,  without  di»- 
Ibiclion  of  sect  or  rank,  ezercishig  the  full  and  equal 
rights  of  civil  and  religious  liberty  (i)  are  alone  sufll- 
cient  to  excite  emotiona  of  gratitude  too  strong  ever  to 
be  obliterated." 

Here  Franklin  Pierce  put  it  into  the  mouth  of  his 
father,  the  Governor,  to  insult  deliberately  every  lovei 
of  truth,  equal  rl;.'hts  and  Republican  liberality,  by  say- 
ing that  his  emoii  )ns  of  gratitude  were  too  strong  ever 
to  be  obliterated  In  glorying  in  that  bogus  system  of 
equal  rights  which  marked  the  most  numerous  Chrl» 
tl»n  sect  in  Christendom  with  the  disgrace  of  the  helol 
and  the  mark  of  Cain.  Why  should  the  people  of  New- 
Hampshire  change  their  Constitution  when  the  leader 
of  the  Democracy  of  that  State  then,  and  the  leader  of 
the  Democracy  of  the  United  States  now,  saw  the  Cath- 
olics branded  as  outcasts  and  helots,  and  excluded  from 
offices  open  to  the  negroes,  with  feelings  of  gratitude 
"too  strong  ever  to  be  obliterated." 

There  Is  Franklin  Pierce's  idea  of  championing  Re- 
ligious Liberty — that  a  State  where  a  Catholic  cannot 
hold  an  office,  even  should  the  whole  people  ot  the  State 
vote  for  him.  Is  sucb  a  political  Paradise  that  admiration 
burns  It  so  deeply  Into  his  affections  that  dme  cannot 
ol:>llterate  tbe  record 


WILLIAM   E.    ROBINSON  S    SPEECH 


This  Coaatltutlon  hai  been  In  existence  sixty  years. 
Elirbt  limes  sloce,  has  It  been  iubmltied  to  the  People, 
whether  It  should  be  reformed,  and  nnver  has  the  domi- 
nant yarty  In  the  State  made  It  a  test  of  principle.  Nerei 
hut  Franklin  Pierce  called  a  meeting  to  denounce  the 
bigotry.  The  mnte  in  the  eye  of  the  Rhode  Island  Con 
stlciitlin  they  rlewed  through  a  magnifying  glass,  In  the 
D'lrr  Rebellion.  They  reversed  the  Instrument  wheu 
examining  the  beam  In  their  own 

CONSTITUTION  CONVENTION  OF  1850-^2. 
I  now  beg  your  attention  to  the  history  of  the  effort 
made  for  Catholic  Emancipation  in  NewHampshirt- 
In  1850-52.  In  the  March  election  of  1850,  the  questiin 
was  submitted  to  the  people  of  the  State,  whether  s 
Convention  to  reform  the  Constitution  should  be  culled 
It  was  carried  by  a  majority  of  the  votes  cast,  but  If  ll 
had  depended  on  Pierce's  party,  It  would  have  failed 
Two  or  three  Whiit  towns,  compared  with  a  few  Loco 
Foco  towns,  will  suffice  to  show  this.  I  give  the  votei 
for  and  against  calling  the  Convention,  and  the  vote 
for  the  Whig  and  LocoFoco  candidates,  at  the  general 
election  the  tame  jear,  (1850 :) 

WHIG   TOWNS. 

OH  OOXTlllTIOH.  OS  OOTIEnOB. 


Towns.  Yeao. 

Dover 447 

Somer»worth..  .201 
K«ene 281 


Nays. 
98.. 
59.. 
64.. 


LOCO-FOCO   TOWNS. 


132. 
132. 

84. 

90. 
183. 
168. 

60. 


Whig. 

Loco 

619 

504 

361 

186 

319 

19fl 

30 

157 

17 

134 

16 

57 

9 

5t 

147 

271 

26 

320 

6 

4S 

Northwood 64 

Mi>tcicgham  ....  54 

Albany 7 

Bruokfirtld 16 

Strafford 3 

Warner 67 

Ellsworth 7 

COMPARISON  OF  VOTES. 

Here  Whig  Dover  gives  nearly  five  to  one  for  the 
Convention ;  Loco- Foco  Albany  twelve  to  one  against  It; 
Whig  iomersworth  gives  nearly  four  to  one  for  It;  Lo- 
co-Foco  Strafford  sixty-one  to  one  against  It ;  Whlj 
Keene  gives  over  four  to  one  for  It;  LocoFoco  Ells- 
worth eight  to  one  ajalnst  it  I  Yet  Hon.  Geo.  M.  Dallat 
savs  the  VVnlgs  and  Free-Sollers  combined  to  defeat  the 
benevolent  Intentions  ot  the  Pierce  party  I 

In  the  Whig  town  of  Keene  It  will  be  seen  there  were 
but  199  voies  for  the  Pierce  Governor,  but  there  were 
281  voies  for  Con»tltutlonal  reform  ;  while  in  the  town 
of  Ellsworth,  where  there  were  only  six  Whig  votes,  all 
told,  there  were  sixty  votes  against  Constitutional  Re 
form — that  Is,  ten  times  as  many  votes  against  It  as 
there  are  Whig  votes  In  the  whole  town.  But  what  use 
In  summoning  up  a  storm  of  arg\imeut  or  a  wave  of  testi- 
mony to  waft  a  feather  or  to  drown  a — lie  ?  In  the  town 
ot  Ellsworth  ih?  figures  indicate  that  the  whole  Whig 
vote  with  one  FreeSoiler,  went  for  Constitutional  Re- 
form, and  the  entire  Loco-Foco  vote  with  the  remalndw 
of  the  Fico-SoilHfs,  went  for  keeping  the  mark  of  Cain 
upon  the  Catholics. 

CONVENTION  MEETS. 

But  notwithstanding  Loeofoco  opposition,  the  Con- 
vention was  called,  and  met  in  Concord,  on  the  6tb  day 
•f  No»  ember,  1850.  Franklin  Pierce  was  elected  frono 
Concord,  and  was  chosen  President  of  the  Convention 
In  his  eptbch  on  taking  the  Chair,  in  place  of  speaking 
a  kind  word  in  favor  of  Catholic  Emanicipation,  he 
passed  a  jiiowing  eulogy  on  the  wisdom,  enllgntenment, 
purity,  and  patiiotism,  of  those  who.  In  1792.  fastenea 
the  stigma  ol  the  Catholics.  Thus,  when  religious  lib- 
erty needed  a  champion,  Franklin  Pierce,  frum  the 
Chair  of  a  Convention  called  to  reform  the  abuse,  had 
not  one  word  to  say  against  the  Iniquity  but  honeyed 
phrases  for  those  who  made  it.  {See  Concord  Patriot 
riov.  7.) 

The  Patriot,  Pierce's  organ,  then  and  now,  (and  here- 
after, should  he  be  elected,)  bad  a  leading  editorial  on 
the  Convention  the  day  it  met,  but  not  one  word  In  fa- 
vor of  Catholic  Emancipation.  On  the  contrary,  it 
warned  the  Conventlcm  to  "  be  careful  lo  do  no  more 
than  the  people  require "  The  people  showed  that 
they  did  not  require  Catholic  Em-incipation,  as  not  one- 
tixth  of  the  voters  afterward  voted  tor  It. 

November  11, 1850,  Judge  Woodbury  made  a  motion 


to  strike  out  the  word  "  Protestant"  from  the  Bill  of 
Rights.  On  the  same  day,  Franklin  Pierce  made  a 
•  peech  In  favor  of  retaining  the  word  subject,  Instead  of 
citiieit.  or  inhabitant.  In  the  ConBritutiim,  but  this  "  zeal- 
ous champion"  had  not  a  word  to  (ay  In  favor  of  Judge 
Woodbury's  motion. 

ANTI-CATHOLIC   TEST. 

Mr.  Bell,  of  Gilford,  moved  to  strike  out  the  whole  of 
the  ilzth  clause,  except  the  proviso,  wliicb  reads  as  fol- 
lows: 

•'As  morality  and  piety,  rightly  grounded  on  evangelical 
principles,  will  give  the  best  and  greatest  security  to  Gov- 
emment,  and  will  laj  in  the  hearts  of  men  the  strongest  ob- 
ligations to  due  subjection  ;  and  aa  the  knowledge  of  these 
is  most  likely  to  be  propagated  through  a  society  by  the  in- 
stitution of  the  public  worship  of  tte  Deity,  and  of  public 
instruction  in  morality  and  religion,  therefore,  to  promote 
those  important  purposes,  the  people  of  lliis  State  bape  a 
right  to  empower,  and  do  hereby  fully  empower  the  Legis- 
lature to  authorize  from  time  to  time  the  several  ^owLB,  par- 
ishes, bodies  corporate,  or  religious  societies  within  this  State, 
to  make  adequate  provision,  at  their  own  expense,  for  the 
support  and  maintenance  of  publio  Frotestanl  teachers  of 
piety,  religion  and  morality.'' 

Franklin  Pierce,  of  Concord,  warmly  opposed  this,  In 
a  speech  of  which  the  following  Is  a  brief  report,  given 
officially  In  The  Coricord  Patriot  of  November  12 : 

"  Mr.  Pierce,  of  Concord,  said  he  w»uld  be  sorry  to  have 
the  question  tatten  upon  the  motion  of  the  gentleman  from 
Gilford,  (Mr.  Bell,)  to  strike  out  all  the  sixch  article  but  the 
last  clause  of  the  proviso.  He  was  sure  the  mover  would, 
upon  refleciioa,  desire  to  retain  the  first  part  of  that  article, 
on  every  ground,  and  especially  as  the  deliberate  expression 
of  opinion  of  wise  and  patriotic  men  of  a  past  jeneration, 
(his  faiher,  ice.,)  upon  the  question  ta  to  what  "will  give  the 
best  snd  greatest  security  to  Government."  He  believed 
that  what  was  so  forcibly  expressed  in  the  Constitution  of 
'92,  would  be  solemnly  renj^rmcd  aa  the  deliberative,  unani- 
movs  judyment  ^J  thii  Conventiu7i." 

Now,  here  Is  the  only  speech  he  made  on  the  test, 
and  If  that  is  not  Indorsing  the  Auti-Cutholic  clauses, 
framed  by  bis  father,  I  do  not  know  what  language 
means. 

Nov.  12,  TTie  Patriot  again  had  an  article,  warning  the 
Convention  not  to  make  any  amendments  but  such  as 
are  clearly  Indicated  by  the  people. 

PIERCE  AGAINST  REFORM. 

In  Convention,  Nov.  12,  the  Committee  on  Religious 
and  Property  Tests,  reported  in  favor  of  tceir  repeal. 
The  sixth  article,  as  above,  was  taken  up.  Franklla 
Pierce  said  :  "  It  was  his  earnest  desire  to  retain  not  only 
ALL  the  principles,  but,  as  far  aa  practicable,  the  Ian- 
guoge  of  this  eeclion."  He  spoke  in  favor  of  retaining 
the  word  "  Evaugelical,"  which  is  generally  applied  to 
the  church  which  he  attends  in  Concord.  He  spoke 
several  tiojes  during  the  day,  but  not  one  single  argu- 
ment did  be  produce  or  hint  at  in  favor  of  Catholla 
emancipation. 

The  same  day,  Franklin  Pierce  spoke  upon  the  Ju- 
diciary. Indeed  he  seemed  anxious  to  "spread  him- 
self" upon  almost  every  subject  but  upon  his  father's 
Anti-Catholic  policy. 

THE  DECISIVE  DISCUSSION. 

The  great  and  decisive  discussion  on  the  AntI- Catholla 
Test  came  off  on  Nov.  13.  I  might  remark  here,  that 
the  fail ome  nonsense  going  the  rounds  of  the  Loco-Foco 
papers  that  Mr.  Pierce  descended  from  the  President's 
chair,  &a.,  is  nothing  but  nonsense,  and  nonsense  of  a 
very  ridiculous'  stripe.  The  discussion  took  place  in 
Committee  of  the  Whole,  and  the  President  was  not  In 
the  chair  at  all  I  The  Chair  on  this  day  (Nov.  13)  was 
occupied  by  Mr.  Sawyer,  of  Nashua.  The  first  resolu- 
tion was  to  strike  out  all  religious  tests,  aid  Judge 
Woodbury  made  a  long  speech  upon  it.  He  contended 
that,  In  the  Bill  of  Rights,  all  were  made  equal,  and  yet 
all  but  Protesiants  are  made  unequal :  "  You  hold  out 
the  husk,  but  withhold  the  kernel ;  you  allow  fire-arms, 
but  neither  gunpowder  nor  lead  to  load  ihera." 

He  contended  that  "all  other  than  Protestant  sects 
are  virtually  deprived  of  representation  as  they  are  made 
ineligible  to  the  Legislature.  Their  opinions  and  wishes 
are  unheard  there  trom  themselves.  They  are  branded, 
they  are  driven  forth  as  with  the  mark  of  Cain,  for  servi- 
tude and  ignominy  !''  He  continued,  "  Indeed  tnls  test 
debars  man  from  what  we  allow  lo  tlu  degraded  African, 
as  Ae  Is  eligible  here  to  hold  office  as  whH  at  tn  vota 
Wtille  the  present  test  continues,"  said  be,  "  It  Is  with 


ON   CATHOLIC   EMANCIPATION. 


< 


an  ill  grace  we  can  call  other  coantrieg  bigoted,  who 
like  England,  have  emancipated  the  Catholics." 

Mr.  Parker,  of  Nashua,  followed,  and  contended  that 
Jhere  *aa  no  opposition  to  striking  out  the  test. 

Mr.  Roblnion,  ot  Salisbury,  followed  in  favor  of  abolish- 
ing cae  te«t,  and  It  passed  in  Committee  of  the  Whole  { 
without  opposition,  and  without  one  single  remark  Jrom 
Franklin,  Pierce  in  its  favor. 

What  ihen  shall  we  say  of  the  speech,  now  going  the 
rounds  of  the  papers,  attributed  to  Franklin  Pierce, 
which,  we  are  told,  he  left  the  chair,  (which  he  did  not 
occupy,)  to  make?  lam  sorry  that  I  am  compelled  to 
expose  here  one  of  the  meanest  tricks  ever  resorted  to, 
to  defraud  and  deceive  the  people. 

A  CUNNING  DODGE. 

As  soon  as  It  was  known  that  Franklin  Pierce  was 
nominated  at  Baltimore,  the  liberal-minded  men  of  all 
•ects,  and  (Particularly  the  naturalized  citizens,  declared 
(hat  unless  it  could  ba  proved  that  Franklin  Pierce  had 
advocated  or  favored  tne  repeal  of  the  Catholic  disabil- 
ity, they  would  not  vote  for  him.  When  Mr.  Dallas 
ipoke  lu  Philadelphia,  the  very  next  week-day  evening 
alter  the  nomination  of  Mr.  Pierce,  he  could  not  have 
seen  any  public  charge  made  against  Mr.  Pierce,  for  neg- 
lect of  duty  In  this  reipect  But  as  the  inspired  Pro- 
Terbist informs  us,  ''The  wicked  tiee  when  no  man  pur- 
sueth,"  he  stated  that  Franklin  Pierce  had  advocated 
the  repeal  of  the  4ntl-Catholtc  test.  On  searching  the 
records,  no  speech  from  Mr.  Pierce  could  be  found,  but 
It  was  decided  on,  that  something  in  the  shape  of  a  speech 
should  be,  ex  post  facto,  put  into  his  mouth.  Some  dodge 
must  be  resorted  to,  and  the  leaders  seemed  to  say  any 
dodge,  nowever  despicable,  will  be  good  enough  for  the 
Catholics,  who  won'tknow  the  difference.  The  telegraph 
soon  Informed  us  that  The  Washi7igion  Union  would, 
the  next  morning,  centaln  the  speech  of  Franklin  Pierce 
on  this  subject,  which  he  condescended  to  make,  and 
even  descended  from  the  chair  to  deliver. 

Tnough  the  speech  was  first  published  In  The  Wash- 
ington Union  and  copied  into  The  Ohio  Statesman  of 
June  16,  yet  the  dodge,  I  believe,  was  concocted  in 
Concord,  and,  I  cannot  help  thinking,  by  the  aisistance 
of  Franklin  Pierce  hlmielt  Accordingly  The  Concord 
Patriot,  of  June  17,  18.52,  contains  t'he  speech  which 
was  to  gull  and  deceive  every  liberal-minded  natural- 
ized citizen,  and  so  far  the  forgery  has  succeeded  ad- 
mirably. On  referring  to  the  official  report  of  the  pro- 
eeeoings  in  The  Concord  Patriot,  I  found  that  Franklin 
Pierce  had  not  spoken  at  all  upon  the  subject ;  but  en 
looking  further  I  found  that  after  the  Religious  test  had 
been  abolished  without  uppo8itio7i,  and  laid  aside  as  cjm- 
pieted,  and  the  Property  test  coming  up,  Franklin 
Pierce  made  a  speech  in  favor  of  striking  out  the  prop- 
erty test,  and  In  that  speech  the  only  reference  he 
made  to  the  religious  test,  was  that  it  had  been  a  "dead 
letter."  And  though  it  had  been  a  "stigma"  upon  ihe 
State,  he  referred  to  other  parts  of  the  Constitution  to 
tzctise  their  fathers'  bigotry.  Indeed,  he  contended 
that  the  great  question  of  religious  toleration  was  set- 
tled ;  which,  it  ii  meant  anything,  meant  that  there  was 
no  necessity  to  bother  the  Convention  about  making 
any  alterations  on  that  subject. 

When  these  remarks  were  made,  the  Religious  test 
loas  not  betore  the  Convention.  That  subject  had  been 
definitively  acted  on.  (8ee  official  report  in  The  Concord 
(ti.  U.)  Patriot,  of  Nov.  14,  ItfSO,  and  compare  It  with 
June  17, 1852,  to  see  the  juggle  and  trick  of  a  reckless 
•et  of  parlizani.) 

PLADSIBLE  DECEPTION. 

But  to  give  plausibility  to  the  forgery,  for  forgery  it  is, 
St  the  conclusion  of  Woodbury's  speech  on  the  Religious 
tests,  six  stars  are  printed.  Now,  when  stars  are 
Introduced,  it  always  means  that  a  part  of  the  speech  is 
omitted  of  no  importance.  But  in  this  case,  those  sir 
■tars,  which  are  printed  in  Woodburj's  speech,  now 
going  the  rounds  of  the  Loco-Koco  papers,  come  In  be- 
tween the  conclusion  of  Woodbury's  speech  on  the  Re- 
ligious tests  and  the  closing  sentence  of  his  speech  on 
the  property  qualiticatiin.  Those  six  stars  are  all  we 
have  for  the  epoeches  of  Messrs.  Parker  and  Robinson, 
the  decisive  votes  on  the  Religious  tests,  the  taking  up  of 
another  subject,  and  Judge  VVoodbury's  speech,  ot  nearly 
a  wbole  c  jlumn,  on  that  other  subject ;  and  thus, 
t>jr  the  maglo  inQuence  of  those  stars,  joining  the  duo- 


decimo speech  of  Pierce  on  property  qualification  to  the 
folio  speech  of  Woodbury  on  the  RtrllgloustesL  These 
tricksters  hope  to  leave  the  impression  on  the  public 
mind  that  both  were  made  upon  the  lairu  subject,  and 
that  it  was  after  Pierce's  "powerful"  speech  that  the 
rote  was  carritdl  The  enemy,  however,  was  con- 
quered, and  had  capitulated  to  the  artillery  of  Wood- 
bury, before  Pierce  discharged  his  pop  gun.  And  yet, 
by  this  shallow  device,  these  forgers  hope  to  blind  the 
eyes  of  the  citizens  interested,  and  to  cheat  them  out  of 
their  votes,  In  support  of  a  candidate  whose  conduct 
they  must  despise.  Since  the  time  when  an  infernal 
home  was  opened  for  outcast  villainy,  has  any  rascality 
meaner  and  more  siupid  than  this  been  perpetrated  ) 

OTHER  VOTES  AND  TRIALS. 

The  queitlnn  which  had  been  decided  In  Committee  of 
the  Whole  afterward  came  before  the  Convention.  Mr. 
Cass  of  Hoidemess,  a  Loco-Foco  friend  of  Franklia 
Pierce,  and,  I  believe,  a  relative  of  Lewis  Cass,  ol  Michi- 
gan, »p}ke  against  Catholic  Emancipation.  So,  also,  did 
Mr.  Brewster,  of  Dutton,  (a  Loco-Foco,)  and  Mr.  Win- 
iate,  of  Stratbam,  (also  a  Loco-Foco.)  Franklin  Pierce 
descended  not  from  his  chair,  but  put  the  quesiloo,  and 
It  was  carried,  with  only  7  Nays.  The  names  are  not 
jlven,  but  I  believe  the  whole  seven  were  political 
hrlends  of  Franklin  Pierce. 

Nov.  14.  Franklin  Pierce  made  two  speeches  on  giving 
the  election  of  Judges  to  tne  people.  Like  everything 
else  from  him,  it  was  non-co^nmlitai ;  but  the  tHt>ctof 
bis  remarks  was  in  opposition  to  the  election  by  the 
people. 

Nov.  18.  The  question  was  taken  whether  the  word 
"Protestant," shobld  be  stricken  from  the  qualifications 
of  Representatives.  Carried — but  not  a  word  from 
Franklin  Pierce. 

Nov.  19.  The  question  was  taken  on  striking  the  word 
"  Protestant"  from  the  qualiScatlon  for  Senators.^  Car- 
ried, on  a  division,  "  several  members  voting  in  the  nega- 
tive." Franklin  Pierce  still  silent  on  Calholio  Emanci- 
pation, though  he  found  time,  the  same  day,  without  de- 
•ceodlng  from  the  chair,  to  make  four  or  five  speeches 
on  minor  mattei-s — one  ol  them  nearly  a  column  long. 

Dec.  4.  The  question  was  taken  on  striking  the  word 
"  Protestant"  from  the  qualificatiens  for  Governor.  Mr. 
Cass  spoke  against  It ;  several  members  voting  la  the 
negative.  No  word  from  Franklin  Pierce.  Judge 
Woodbury  was  absent,  attending  Court  at  Washington, 
and  there  was  nobody  to  speak  for  the  Catholics  ;  but 
U r.  Pierce  found  time  to  make  three  speeches  on  the 
basis  ol  representation  during  the  evening  session  of 
that  day. 

Dec.  5  Mr.  Franklin  Pierce  made  another  speech  on 
representation. 

ABJURATION  OATH  PROPOSED. 

Dec.  9.  Mr.  Cass  offered  the  follDwing  resolution  : 

Resolved,  That  an  article  be  inserted  in  the  CoDstitutiaa 
ss  follows;  "No  one  who  IsHuund  by  the  oath  of  allegiaoca 
to  any  monarchical  or  foreign  power  whatever,  or  who  is 
bouod  by  his  religious  fsitli  to  put  down  free  toleration, 
■hall  at  anytime  bold  any  office  of  tiust  or  profit  in  the 
State." 

Dec.  10.  The  President,  Franklin  Pierce,  decided  that 
Mr.  Cass's  resolution,  ai  reported  above,  was  In  order. 
Now,  here  was  a  chance  for  Mr.  Pierce  to  descend  from 
the  Chair. 

Mr.  Cass  (Looo-Foce)  asked  :  "  Was  It  safe  to  elect  a 
man  (Jovernor  who  was  sworn  to  the  Pope  of  Rome, 
and  believed  that  all  Protestants  were  heretics,  and 
•hould  be  persecuted  unto  death  ?  He  would  not 
have  It  left  open  io  that  persecutors  could  come  In 
and  take  the  helm  of  Government  He  thHught  It  right 
to  put  up  the  bars.  Was  It  ever  known  that  Catholics 
gained  the  power  over  any  people,  and  got  the  Govern- 
ment into  their  own  hands,  that  thoy  did  not  persecute, 
9ven  unto  denth,  all  that  were  opposed  to  them  !  And 
was  it  not  their  religion,  though  they  might  be  bound 
by  all  the  oaths  that  could  be  imposed  on  them,  that 
Ihey  might  be  absolved  by  the  Pope?  And  were  they 
not  striving  for  conquest  everywhere,  and  to  set  up 
their  religion  of  Church  anil  State?  *  »  ♦  Were  not 
nunneries  and  Catholic  schools  springing  up  all  around 
us?  And  were  they  not  teichlug  the  children  that  we 
are  all  heretics  ?  *  *  •  And  should  Ireland  be  free 
from  England  to-day,  would  she  sustain  a  Republic  ? 
No.    Let  Ireland  be  free  from  England,  and  the  Pope 


WILLIAM   E.    KOBINSOn's   SPEECH 


would  have  the  power.  And  would  he  sustain  a  Repub- 
lic?    Look  to  Mexico,"  #:c. 

Mr.  Klchaidsou,  (Loco  Foco,)  of  Hanover,  followed 
Mr.  Cans,  aud  apobe  agalnet  the  resolutloD,  but  took 
occasion  tu  have  a  flin^  at  the  Cathollca.  He  said  :  "  It 
was  idle  to  suppose  that  a  narrow-minded  Jesuit  should 
bd  elevated  w  ntJlce.  *  *  *  In  this  country,  with  Its 
Uberalizine  Influence,  we  had  no  reason  to  fear  anything 
from  Catholics." 

Other  speeches  followed  on  the  same  question,  and  1 
iubmlttoMr.  O'Conor  whether  this  was  not  an  occa- 
sion when  religious  liberty  needed  a  champion  t 

PIERCE  FAILS  TO  DEFEND. 

Did  Franklin  Pierce  jump  from  his  chair  to  answer 
his  two  friends!  Did  he  rule  Cass's  resolution  out  of 
order,  as  he  might  have  done?  No;  he  opened  not  his 
mouth  Bgalast  U,  though  one  might  suppose  that  Judge 
Woodbury  bBing  absent,  the  mantle  of  religious  cham- 
pionship would  tall  upon  him.  He  quietly  put  the  ques- 
tion, aud  the  resolution  was  Indutioltely  postponed. 
During  that  same  day,  however,  he  f(»und  time  to  make 
another  speech  on  the  everlasting  question  of  Re  pre- 
sentatljn,  occupying  nearly  a  column  in  the  official 
report 

The  Concord  Patriot  of  Deo.  13,  speaking  of  this  Rep- 
resentation ameudraent,  calls  it  "the  moat  imporia-nt 
amendment  proposed."  This  declaration,  by  the  official 
orgao  of  Franttlln  Pierce  and  printer  to  the  Convention, 
showed  th*t  the  party  attributed  very  little  importance 
to  the  religious  test.  In  fact,  Pierce  and  his  party 
adopted  a  system  of  Representation  similar  to  the  rot- 
ten borough  system  of  Great  Britain,  for  no  other  ap- 
parent reason  than  So  defeat  all  amendments  of  the 
Constitution. 

FOREIGNERS  NOT  PEOPLE. 

Dec.  12,  Gov.  Steele,(Loco,)  on  this  subject  of  the  basis 
»f  Representation,  moved  that  paupers  and  foreigners 
be  not  counted  as  part  of  the  people. 

Mr.  Cass  complained  that  "two  towns,  during  the 
building  of  the  Northern  Railroad,  had  sent  two  extra 
representatives  on  the  score  of  the  Irishmen  at  work 
on  this  road."    (Awful  I) 

Here  now  was  a  glorious  chance  for  the  ehamplon 
o(  Catholics  and  Irishmen,  but  Mr.  Frankiln  Pierce  was 
dumb,  and  Gov.  Steele's  amendment  was  carried  by  103 
to  63. 

Dec.  13.  In  the  evening  the  religious  test  on  repre- 
sentation was  stricken  out,  but  no  remarks  from  Mr. 
Pierce. 

PIERCE  ON  OTHER  MATTERS. 
Dee.  19.  Franklin  Pierce  spoke  two  or  three  times  on 
t'ae  Judiciary.     In  fact,  Catbolle   Emancipation  seemed 
to  ha  thn  nnlv  eubieM  nn  which  his  toneue  whs  Hod. 

Dec.  24.  Franklin  Pierce  spoke  on  the  calling  out  of 
the  mllltla. 

Dec.  ae.  Franklin  Pierce  opposed  the  election  of 
clerks  of  the  Courts  by  the  people,  and  had  that  clause 
stricken  out  The  same  day  he  spoke  several  times  on 
the  election  and  jurisdiction  of  petty  Judges.  No  sub 
ject  was  too  peity  for  his  tongue  but  Catholic  Emdnolpa 
tion. 

Dec.  27.  Franklin  Pierce  opposed  districting  the  State 
nto  iwentv  Seoatorlal  Districu,  on  the  ground  that  it 
would  en'laogfr  his  party's  superiority,  and  It  was  de- 
feat«d  The  same  evening  he  spoke  four  or  five  times 
r.n  Petty  Justices'  Courts. 

CONCLUSION  OF  THE  SESSION. 
The  Convention  finally  adjourned  on  the  3d  day  of 
January,  1851,  and  during  Its  whole  session  Frankiln 
Pierce  found  time  to  speak  on  almost  every  subjeet, 
trivial,  petty,  St*te  and  National,  and  that,  too,  wltcout 
decendlng  from  the  Chair,  but  never  once  during  the 
whole  session  of  the  CoQvention,  wtiiie  the  religious  lest 
was  before  the  Convention,  did  he  say  one  wordia  favor 
of  striking  It  out. 

And  yet  every  lylog  sheet  and  Loco-Foco  mouth  is  full 
of  fulsome  pralfes  on  Franfclla  Pierce  for  doing  what  he 
neve'  did  I  Wcat  dependence,  then,  can  naturalized 
citizens  place  upon  anything  these  people  say  ? 
SUBMITTED  TO  THE  PEOPLE. 
The  question  was  submitted  to  the  people  at  the  regu- 
lar election  held  In  New-Hampshireon  the  second  Tues- 


day of  March,  1851.  During  tbe  whole  of  that  time, 
from  January  to  March,  no  public  meeting  was  called 
by  Mr.  Pierce  or  his  friends  to  speak  in  favor  of  Catho- 
lic Emancipation.  They  did  not ,  he  did  not  give  him- 
self as  much  trouble  to  rescue  the  Catholics  from  their 
disabilities  as  a  common  humane  person  would  take  to 
extricate  a  tly  from  the  meshes  of  a  spider's  web. 

Tbe  amendments  »ere  submitted  In  the  form  of  fif- 
teen questions,  and  the  repeal  of  the  antl-Cathollc  t«>st 
was  No.  8.  Let  us  look  at  a  few  of  the  towns  to  see  the 
unblushing  ett'rontry  of  Geo.  M.  Dallas  and  tbe  whole 
Loco-Foco  party.  I  take  these  returns  from  The  Con- 
cord Patriot,  of  March  VH,  1851,  which  says,  In  announc- 
ing the  result:  "  Every  proposition  submitted  has  been 
rejeaU'd  by  a  very  large  majority."  Geo.  M.  Dallas  says 
It  was  rejected  for  want  of  a  two-thirds  vote  1 

THE  VOTE. 

I  have  given  the  vote  In  the  same  towns,  the  same 
year,  for  Dinsmore,  the  Pierce  candidate,  a  man  whom 
Franklin  Pierce  had  put  up  against  Atwood,  the  regular 
Loco-Foco  candiWate.  It  will  be  seen  that  In  towns 
where  Franklin  Pierce  rallied  his  party  to  vote  by  hun- 
dreds for  hi*  candidate,  he  did  not  think  it  worth  while 
to  secure  a  single  baker's  dozen  for  Catholic  Emanci- 
pation.    Here  are  a  few  towns. 

On  the  eighth  proposition,  as  voted  for  In  March,  1851, 
with  votes  fer  Governor  given  at  the  same  election, 
from  The  ^ew- Hampshire  Patriot  of  March  27,  1851.  : 


Brentwood...  76 

Seabronk 85 

Windham....  46 

Durham 155 

Farmlogton  ..304 
New- Durham.  113 

Staflord 244 

Chatham 82 

Effingham 129 

Ossipea 194 


>inAmors  Catholic 
o  Pierce  Emanci 
ndidate.     patioi 


Sandwich 113 

Wakefield.... 176 
WoUborou(jh.279 

London 120 

Aiex»ndrla..  .134 

Ellsworth 59 

Hill 130 

H 'ldernes8...153 
Milan 64 


Diosmoor  CathoHc 
Loco  Pierce  Emanci- 
Canditlate.    patiou. 


A  QUESTION. 
Ye  men  of  too  credulous  a  dlsposWon,  who  may  have 
too  easily  jlelded  credence  to  tbe  supposilon  that  a 
Loco-Foco  can  tell  tbe  truth,  compare  the  above  table 
with  the  assertions  of  Geo.  ftl.  Dallas  and  the  Loco-Foco 
party,  and  what  Uttle  word  will  Involuntarily  flutter  on 
every  tongue  I 

Here  U  the  Loco-Foeo  town  of  New  Durham,  which 
gave  113  votes  for  Pierce's  pet  for  Governor,  and  only 
tour  votes  for  CaiboUa  Emanclpailon.  Yet  George  M. 
Dallxs  and  pvrty  say  thai  It  tailed  only  because  the 
Whigs  and  Free  SoUers  combined  against  It  I  Here  is 
the  Loco-Foco  town  of  Effingham,  129  votes  for  Pierce's 
Governor,  and  only  one  suliturv  vote  for  Catholic  Eman- 
cipation ;  Wakefield,  with  176  Loco-Focos  and  only  one 
vote  for  Catholic  Emnnclpaiion  ;  and  yet,  Geo  M.  Dal- 
las and  bis  party — his  head  woltenlng  with  blossoms  for 
the  grave,  once  Vice  President  of  the  United  States,  and 
Pre»ident  of  the  most  Oistlngulabed,  reliberste  elecrtve 
body  In  the  world— states  that  tbe  VVhles  and  Free  SoU- 
ers rtefealed  a  measure.  In  sj>ite  of  the  exertions  of  a 
party  which  otly  polled  one  vote  out  of  176 — one  out  of 
129  of  their  own  party  vote  for  the  measure. 

What  chonce  has  truth  of  ever  rising  again,  when 
crushed  to  earth  with  such  mtrclless  audacity  as  this  1 
What  wonder  that  letters  are  forged  for  General  Scott, 
which  he  never  wrote,  when 

"  Falsehood  puts  on  the  faoe  of  simple  truth, 

Aud  maski  in  the  habit  of  plain  henesty, 

When  she  intends  most  villainy" 

THE  VOTE  AGAIN. 

The  vote  In    the  whole  State    was,  for   Dinsmore, 

(Pierce's  candidate) 24,425 

For  Sawver,  (Whig) 18.«58 

For  Atwood,    (Free  Soil) 12,049 

Atwood  had  been  the  regularly  nominated  Loco-Foco 
candidate;  and  so  the  two  Loco-Focos  carried  36,474,  a 
majority  of  about  two-tblrds  over  the  Whig  vote.  And 
yet  the  vote  on  the  Constitution  was  : 

F«r  Catholic   Emancipation 13,575 

Against  it 24,971 

It  must  be  remarked  thst.  In  this  vote,  as  In  1852,  the 
great  majority  of  those  who  voted  for  Catholic  Saianct- 


©N   CATHOLIC    EMANCIPATION. 


patloD  were  Whiga.  iDdecd,  the  vote  against  Catholic 
EmanclpHtloD  is  just  about  tbe  vote  whicti  wa«  cast  for 
Piercb'g  candidate  for  Governor. 

THE  CONVENTION    REASSEMBLES. 

The  Convention  reasgeuabled  on  the  16th  of  April, 
1852, — and  here  we  meet  with  more  Loco-Foco  forgery 
and  falsehood. 

A  SLANDER  REFUTED. 

Mr.  Chamberlain,  the  Whig  candidate  for  Governor, 
and  a  warm  triend  of  Catholic  Emancipation,  was  in  fa- 
vor of  having  the  Convention  adjourn,  and  therefore 
oppdsed  the  proposition  to  submit  any  further  amend- 
meniB  to  toe  people.  The  people  had  bocome  so  exaa- 
perated  with  t&o  Convention,  and  tired  of  ita  delibera- 
tions, that  Mr.  Chamberiainsaidlt  would  ruin  the  chance 
for  CatDolic  EoaaDcipation  for  a  century,  to  crowd  it 
back  ujon  them  then;  but  this  was  what  the  Loco-Foco 
party  seemed  lo  want,  to  do  up  tbe  business  at  once,  lo 
as  forever  to  exclude  other  chances  of  future  redress  to 
Cathoii'-.s ;  and  because  Mr.  Chamberlain  thus  spoke, 
ho  has  been  accused  of  opposing  Cathollo  Emancipa- 
tion, whereas  ne  voted  for  It  in  all  its  stages,  and  when 
(contrary  to  his  ad  rice)  the  subject  wss  forced  upon  the 
people  ajiain.  at  the  next  election — when,  as  he  foretold, 
It  was  voted  down,  receiving  about  4,(J00  votes  less  than 
the  previous  year — the  town  in  which  he  lived  (Keene) 
did  not  give  a  single  vote  against  ii,  but  gave  217  votes 
for  it.  This  thH  slanderers  of  Mr.  Chamberlain  know. 
Tke  Co7icord  Patriot,  of  Jan.  3,  1851,  says  that  "  it  wa»  a 
grave  qutnion  ichetker  the  Convention,  hace  the  avthririty 
to  make  any  further  ame7tdme7Us  afterthose  now  made  shad 
have  bee7i  acted  upon  by  the  people  "  And  yet  now  they 
abuse  and  slander  Mr.  Chamberlain  for  taking  the  cor- 
rect view  of  this  grave  question. 

NEW  DISCUSSION  ON  THE  TEST. 
Well,  the  Convention  was  two  days  in  session,  (June 
16  and  17.)  and  in  that  time  speeches  were  made  upon 
this  Catholic  Emancipation  by  Messrs.  Smith,  Cham- 
berlain, Bell,  ErtStman,  Woodbury,  &c.,  &,c.;  but  not 
one  word  did  Franklin  Pierce  say  during  the  whole 
time. 

GOV.  DINSMORE'S  MESSAGE. 

Nor  is  this  all.  In  June,  1851,  the  Legislature  assem- 
bled, and  Pierce's  canoldate  being  elf  oted  Governor,  de- 
livered his  message  to  the  Legislature.  If  Franklin 
Pierce  had  asked  nim  to  put  in  a  paragraph  expressing 
regret  at  the  failure  of  the  last  trial,  and  urging  support 
in  the  new  trial  ordered,  he  would  undoubtedly  have 
done  It — but  no,  in  place  of  any  such  thing  we  have  the 
following  paragraph  rtjoirAng  over  the  defeat  of  Catho- 
lic Emancipation,  which  was  undoubtedly  seen  and  ap- 
proved by  Mr.  Pierce  before  it  was  delivered  : 

"  It  la  apparent  from  this  decisive  expression  (says  Gov. 
Pinsmore)  of  the  popular  will,  that  the  preaent  Constitution 
is.  in  the  main.  <r«(ire/j(Satia)actory  to  a  large  majo'ity  of  the 
people,  *  *  *  This  reault  also  indicates  the  instructive  lesson 
which  may  be  useful  fur  our  guidnnce  iiereifter,  that  no  ma- 
teriil  or  important  amendments  to  the  Constitution  can  be 
expected  to  find  acceptance  with  the  people,  which  's  any- 
thing more  than  declaiatory  of  their  kiwirn  sentiments;  and 
thai  itia  al^^ays  unsafe  to  assume  a  knowlodpe  ol  their  opin- 
ions when  they  have  not  boon  distinctly  pronounced.  *  *  * 
An  occasional  examination  and  ducusslon  of  the  principles 
and  forma  of  the  fundamental  law,  are  not  without  their  use, 
if  they  serve  no  other  puipose  than  to  bring  more  clearly  to 
view  the  yreat  mertta  of  our  old  and  well  tried  Conatitutibn, 
and  to  give  the  people  another  opportunity  to  reiijfii  m  IJirir 
Hrnny  iind  unabated  atlachmciit  to  it.''  (Dinsmoor's  Mes- 
sage,   lune,  IB51.) 

if  that  is  not  a  direct  approval  of  the  people  In  reject- 
ing Catholic  emancipation,  then  I  am  ignorant  of  what 
language  means. 

LOCO-FOCO  STATE  CONVENTION. 

Id  the  same  month  (June,  1851.)  the  Looo-Focos  of 
New  Hampshire  held  a  State  Convention  at  Concord,  to 
nominate  candidates  for  StHte  ofticers  to  be  elected  the 
followina  March,  when  the  Antl-Cntholic  test  was  to  We 
tried  again.  This  Convention  passed  a  series  of  resolu- 
tions rejoicin«  In  the  defeat  of  Catholic  emancipation 
Here  is  the  first  resolution : 

Resolved,  That  the  representatives  of  the  people,  in  Con 
vention  assembled,  coinjratnlate  each  other  upon  the  tiijiial 
<n'/(my<A  of  the  Democracy  of  New- Hampsliire  over  all  the 
forms  and  comhinailona  of  hostile  forces,  with  which  they 
have  been  obliced  to  cin'end  in  the  recent  State  election 
That  we  bsbold  with  pride  and  jojfui  satisfaction  thij  Demo- 


cratic party  coming  out  from  the  midst  of  the  perils  which 
encompaesed  it  t)ic<orinu3  over  the  enmity  of  open  foes  sod 
the  treachery  of  supposed  fnends.  itsstrengib  unimpaired,  its 
dignity  uncom  promised,  ita  honor  untarnished,  and  ita/unda- 
mental  doctrines  unchanged. 

Now  here  we  have  the  whole  Loco-Foco  Pierce  Party 
of  New-Hampshire  represented  in  State  Convention,  and 
taking  counsel  of  Franklin  Pierce  at  Concord,  just  stter 
the  defeat  of  Catholic  Emancipation  at  the  previous  elec- 
tion, and  just  after  a  new  set  of  amendments  had  been 
ordered  to  be  submitted  to  the  people  at  the  samfe  time 
when  their  candidates  would  be  voted  for  ;  and  yet  In 
their  long  string  of  resolwtloDS  on  almost  every  subject, 
they  found  not  room  for  a  single  word  in  favor  of  Catho- 
lic Emancipation,  but  rejoiced  that  their  fundammtal 
doctrines  had  been  undianged. 

THE  DEMOCRAT  ON  PIERCE  it  CO. 

Indeed  so  well  known  was  it  that  Franklin  Pierce  and 
bis  party  were  opposed  to  Catholic  Emancipation,  that 
The  Concord  Democrat,  published  in  bis  own  city,  and  of 
course  read  by  him,  in  a  conspicuous  editorial,  published 
June  12,  1851,  says: 

"The  failure  of  that  Convention  is  directly  traccahle  to 
those  Hunker  leaders  PIERCE,  Atherton  If  Co  .  icho  were  de- 
ttirminpd  that  it  shoujA  eilhfr  hfi  entirely  nibfifirvient  to  their 
partuaii  views,  or  be  wliat  it  wan,  a7i  abortion.  They  tuc- 
ceeded,  and  to  them  belonys  the  fionor." 

NOTHING  DONE. 

Well,  from  April,  1851  to  March,  1852,  Cathollo  Eman- 
cipation was  before  the  people  of  the  6tate.  Yet  during 
that  period  of  eleven  months,  Franklin  Pierce  never 
opened  bis  mouth  In  favor  of  the  measure.  Neither  ho 
nor  his  friends  called  any  public  meeting  to  advocate  It. 
They  saw  that  It  bad  been  voted  down,  two  to  one,  the 
last  election,  and  that,  therefore,  it  was  Incumbent  on 
every  friend  of  liberal  sentiments  to  bend  every  energy 
in  its  favor.  During  that  lime  any  quantity  of  resolu- 
tions were  drawn  up  and  passed  on  abstract  questious  ; 
hundreds  of  meetings  held,  and  the  very  air  loaded  with 
unmeaning  glorllications  of  "  Democracy,"  yet  during 
that  whole  time  no  meeting,  no  resolution,  no  tpeecii 
for  Catholic  Emancipation. 

THE  aUESTION  AGAIN  SUBMITTED. 

Well,  March  1852  approached.  The  regular  Loco- 
Foco  candidate  for  G  ivernor  had  committed  suicide, 
and  the  Pierce  party  nominated  Noah  Martin  (or  tho 
post  thus  made  vacant.  The  election  was  held  for  State 
otlicers.  At  the  same  time,  three  simple  amendments  to 
jhe  Constitution  were  submitted  to  the  people.  The  first 
was  for  Catholic  Emancipation.  The  second  was  for 
abolishing  Property  Quallticatlons,  »nd  the  third,  an 
easier  mode  for  future  amendments.  The  first  amend- 
ment reads  as  follows  : 

1.  Resolved,  That  no  belief  in  the  doctrines  of  any  partiou- 
lai  religious  sect  sha'i  be  required  as  a  test  for  hole  ing  ottice, 
or  be  entitled  to  any  preference  whatever,  under  the  Con- 
stitution. And  Ihia  ari'eDdmenl  shall  be  etiected  by  striking 
from  it,  in  Part  2d.  section  1 1th,  the  words  "  shall  be  ol  the 
Protestant  religion;"  and  fioni  section  iMlh  the  words  "  Who 
is  not  of  the  Protestant  reli«ion;  and  from  section  42d  the 
i^ords  "and  unless  he  shall  he  of  the  Protestant  religion  ;" 
and  in  the  Bill  of  Rights,  article  6th,  the  word   '  Protestant.'' 

The  following  is  the  result,  hy  Counties,  throughout 
the  State : 

THE  VOTE  by  Counties  on  Qovemor,  and  also  oji  strik- 
ing out  the  Anti-Catholic  Test  in  the  CoTutiiuiUm,  in 
March,  1852. 

Frs  GoviKsos.  FosChtiolio  ExmoiriTioii. 

Cc.nini.-9.     Martin,  (PisrceCsnil.)                  Yeiiii.  Nays. 

Rockingham 4  669 1.374  1,8.')6 

Stratiord 2,381 764  852 

Belknap 2,155 323  1,037 

Carroll 22:39 257  1,101 

Merrimack 4,614 1.IK)  2455 

Uillsborough  ...  4.5.50 1,457  1,300 

Cheshire 2,338 1,322  716 

Sullivan 2,074 1.030  660 

Grafton 4,404 1,317  1,758 

Coos 1,575 559  357 

Total ..30,99!^. 9,506  12  092 

It  will  be  remembered  that  Catholic  EmaDclpation, 
which  was  before  submitted  in  the  same  amendment 
with  the  Property  Qualification,  was  hero  submitted 
alone,  and,  as  Mr.  Chamberlain  and  other  true  friends 
of  the  measure  had  foretold,  was  hero  worso  defeated 


10 


WILLIAM   E.    ROBINSON'S   SPEECH 


than  before.  And  the  Property  Qualification,  when  re- 
lieved from  the  burden  of  Catholic  toleration,  waa  car- 
ried by  two-thirds,  and  will  be  in  force  ai  part  of  the 
Constitution  as  soon  as  the  Governor  Iseuea  his  procla- 
mation announcing  the  fact.  This  he  should  have  done 
in  June  last,  but  his  New-Hampshire  LocoFocoism 
seems  to  regret  that  property  should  not  continue  to 
make  the  man,  and  therefore  he  is  silent  hitherto. 

But  though  the  amendment  to  abolish  all  property 
guBittipatton  was  repealed.  Catholic  Emancipation  had 
fewf  r  votes  than  it  had  one  year  before.  In  1851  it  had 
13,575  votes,  and  in  185i2  it  had  only  9,^66.  By  forcing 
it  upon  the  people  again  too  soon,  in  spite  of  Mr.  Cham- 
berlain's wise  counsel,  and  by  separating  It  from  the 
property  qmlltiBBtton,  it  has  received  such  a  fall,  that  the 
friends  ol  Catholic  Emancipation  in  New-Hampshire 
heiiitHte  not  to  say,  that  there  Is  no  chance  of  its  paising 
for  fifty  or  a  hundred  years.  If  Pierce  is  not  defeated. 

But  the  hand  of  Providence  sometimes  works  myste- 
rioanly.  A  set  of  wire-pullers  have  put  up  for  President 
of  the  United  States  the  leader  of  New-Hampshire  Loco- 
Focoisfn,  perhaps  the  most  bigoted  and  brutal  lump  of 
stupidity  in  the  Univerie.  The  question  of  Catholic 
Emancipation  comes  up  on  appeal  from  the  "  Democra- 
cy "  of  New-Hampshire  to  the  People  of  the  United 
Slates.  Every  man  who  votes  for  Pierce,  votes  for  his 
party,  end  vutes  to  fasten  the  stigma  forever  on  the 
Catholics.  Those  that  vote  against  him,  vote  for  Cath- 
olic Emancipation.  That's  just  the  question  at  the  next 
election. 

Well,  now,  in  place  of  It  being  defeated  for  want  of  a 
two-third  vote,  Catholic  Emancipation  did  not  receive 
one-sixth  of  tlie  vote  cast  for  Governor.  The  vote  for 
Emancipation  throughout  the  State  was  only  9,566,  and 
of  these  1  do  not  think  more  than  about  2,000  were  of 
Pierce's  party.    I  appeal  to  the  Record. 

CURIOUS  TABLES— LOCO  VOTE. 
I  give  a  table  of  Loco-Foco  towns,  compared  with  a 
similar  table  of  Whig  towns,  and  show  the  vote  for  the 
respective  candidates  for  Governor,  and  the  Yeas  and 
Nays  on  Catholic  Emancipation : 

Yeas.  Noys.  Martin. 

Auburn 1  17  83 

Newmarket 20  100  205 

Newton 8  70  89 

Northwood 1  86  152 

Nottingham 13  75  140 

Lee 35  67  165 

New-Durham 3  60  135 

Alton 24  125  221 

Barostead 45  175  .349 

Gilmanton 20  209  363 

Albany 2  60  56 

Brookdeld 5  60  69 

Conway 21  110  195, 

ErtiDgham 10  83  145 

Woltborough 1  135  291 

Chichester 3  174  149 

Epsom 6    .  108  173 

Loudon 4  180  171 

Warner 22  157  280 

HilUbi.rough 15  101  234 

Pelh»m 13  73  115 

Goshen 7  118  100 

Bethlehem 2  73  106 

Ellsworth 1  48  58 

Franconia 11  64  59 

Hill 2  114  133 

Landaff 25  113  140 

Woodstock 2  63  69 

Berlin 3  36  38 

Stark 1  49  47 

Jackson 14  63  87 

Totals 340         2,966  4,797 

So  strongly  Loeo-Foco  are  these  thirty-one  towns, 
that  they  sent  to  the  Legislature,  in  18.52,  37  Loco-Foco 
Representailvea,  and  not  a  single  Whig. 

These  figures  I  have  from  the  official  record  in  the 
office  of  the  Secretary  of  State  at  Concord;  and  here 
we  see  that  in  31  towDS,  which  gave  Pierce's  candidate 
4,797  votes,  only  340  votes  were  raised  for  Catholic 
Emancipation,  and  2,966  votes  were  given  against  it. 
That  it,  not  one-twelifch  of  the  votes  given  for  Martin 
were  given  for  Catholic  Emaucipatioc,  saying  Dothlng 


at  all  about  the  Whig  votes  cast  In  these  towns  for 
Catholic  Emancipation.  lo  some  of  these  towns  the 
Whig  vote  is  very  small,  being  just  about  toe  number 
given  for  Catholic  Emancipation.    Thus  there  were  in 

Whig  votes.  For  Emancipation. 

Bami  tead 51|B  amstead 45 

Franconia 18  Franconia 11 

Landaff 35 1  Landaff 25 

And  so  far  from  It  being  the  tact  that  it  was  Whigs 
only  that  voted  against  it,  we  have  these  facts,  that  in 
the  town  of 


Against  Emancipation. 

Newton 70 

Nottingham 75 

Lee 67 

Bamstead 175 

Brookfield 60 

Effingham 83 

Charletto  wn 174 

Warren 157 

Ellsworth 48 


VV'hif  Tot«». 

Newton 29 

Nottingham 20 

Lee 10 

Barnstead 51 

Brookfield 16 

Effingham 30 

Cb»rie8town 28 

Warren 34 

Ellsworth 0 

In  this  last  town  of  Ellsworth,  there  were  only  8  Free 
Soil  votes,  and  no  Whig  voles,  and  yet  there  were  48 
votes  against  Catholic  Emancipation,  and  only  one  vote 
for  it ;  and  yet  Geo.  M.  Dallas,  and  all  Loco-Foco 
speakers  and  writers,  tell  us  it  was  the  combination  of 
this  nought  and  eight  that  prevented  the  solitary  one 
being  two-thirds  of  the  whole  vote  cast  I 

THE  WHIG  TOWNS. 
Now  let  us  see  what  the  Whig  towns  did.    I  give  the 
votes  for  and  against  Catholic  Emancipation,  and  the 
vote  at  the  same  election  for  Sawyer,  the  Whig  candi- 
date for  Governor : 

Towns.  Teas. 

Epping 95 

Exeter 39 

Dover .472 

Somers  worth 123 

Wlltrn lUO 

Fitz  William 145 

Keene 217 

Marlborough 62 

Roxbury 24 

Troy 54 

Winchester 122 

Charlestown 66 

Claremont 167 

Cornish. 126 

Croydon 104 

Langdon 32 

HaverhlU 106 

Littleton 94 

Portsmouth 533 

Totals 2,681  791  4,135 

The  above  19  towns  are  entitled  to  41  Representa- 
tives, and  bat  two  of  those  elected  to  the  Leglslarare  in 
1852  were  Pierce  men,  and  these  two  came  from  Poru- 
mouth,  where  about  one-lhlrd  of  ail  the  Nay$  were  given. 

COMPARISONS. 

Here,  then,  we  have  19  Whig  towns  giving  4,135  votes 
for  Wiiig  Governor,  and  rolling  up  2,681  votes  for  Cath- 
olic Emancipation,  and  only  791  votes  against  it — giolng, 
in  fact,  la  this  small  Whig  portion  of  the  State,  more 
than  one-fourth  of  all  the  votes  cast  for  Catholic  Eman- 
cipation throughout  the  State.  In  Keene,  where  Mr. 
Chamberlain,  who  is  so  much  abused  and  belied,  lived 
and  voted,  thsre  are  217  votes  for  Catholic  Emsncips- 
tion,  and  not  one  against  it.  In  Concord,  where  Frank- 
lin Pierce  lives,  there  were  360  votes  ag»lnst  it  and  only 
266  for  it.  And  look  at  Cheshire,  the  only  Whig  County 
in  the  State,  and  In  whlbh  Kriene  is  eitusted,  and  in  that 
Whig  Oounty — Mr.  Chamberlain's  residenee — there 
were  1,322  votes  for  Catholls  Emancipation,  and  only 
716  against  it;  while  in  the  Lico-Foco  County  of  Merri- 
mack, where  Mr.  Pierce  reildes,  and  where  4,614  vot.-'d 
for  Pierce's  candidate  for  Governor,  there'  were  only 
1,163  votes  for  CachoUe  Emancipation,  and  2.455  against 
it. 

I  know  that,  to  adduce  more  evidence  to  prove  that 
the  whole  Loco-Foco  arguments  are  unmitigated  false- 
hoods, would  be  to  waste  words  and  abuse  patience — 
and,  therefore,  I  shall  only  give  one  more  table,  which  I 
have  copied  from  the  officlsil  records  In  the  cfSce  of  tti9 


fays. 

awrer. 

25 

117 

12 

321 

220 

723 

.?6 

334 

1 

70 

27 

140 

0 

374 

4 

83 

7 

37 

9 

77 

0 

200 

3 

164 

67 

306 

45 

114 

17 

41 

1 

55 

48 

205 

32 

173 

237 

601 

ON   CATHOLIC   EilANCIPATION. 


Secretary  of  State  at  Concord.  I  give  a  lUt  of  42  towni, 
not  one  of  which  gave  a  baker's  dozen  for  CathoUe 
KintticlpHtloD,  while  they  could  muster  In  large  num- 
bers  for  Pierce's  candidate  for  Governor,  whose  vote  1 
also  give.    Just  look  at  the  record  : 


THIS  AND  THAT  TOGETHEK. 


For 
Martin. 

....83 


Catholic 
Emanci- 
pation. 

1 

0 

7 

7 


Tot 
Townfl.  Martin. 

Newton 89 

North  wood  ...152 

Poplin 54 

Winham 47 


For 

Calbu:ic 
Emanci- 
pation. 

8 
1 

9 
7 


10 


1 


Towns. 
Auburn. 

Brentwood 64 

Cneeter 133 

Hampton  Falls. 55 
Newcastle 75 

STBAFFOBD  COrNTST. 

Durham 186  5     I  New  Durham..  135 

Madbury 48  0     | 

BELKNAP  COUNTY. 

New  Hampton  141        11     | 

CABBOLL    COtJNTTf. 

Albany 56  2     jEffinirbam 145 

Brookfield 69  5     ]  Wolt  borough  .291 

MKBBIMACK   COXTSTY. 

Canterbury  ...  147  9     I  Loudon 171 

Chlcbenler 149  3       PUtsSeld 228 

Epsom 173  6     | 

HILLSBOaOUGH  CO0NTY. 

Bedford 147  9     I  Mount  Vernon. 80 

Manch'r  Wrd  1.  40  1       Sharon 38 

"    6.102  0     Jwindsor 34 

CHSSHIBE   COUNTY. 

Hinsdale 76  7     |Rindge 41 

SCLLrVAN   COUNTY. 

Goshen 100  7     |  Washington  .  ..93 

GBAFTON   COUNTY. 

Benton 76  5  IGrafton 121 

Bethlehem....  106  2  |  Hill 133 

Eilewortfa 58  1  I  Woodstock  ...  69 

Franconla ....  59  11  | 

coos  COUNTY. 

BerUn 38  3     IStark 47 

Randolph 19  7     I      . 

MORE  COMPARISONS. 
Fellow-cltlzeDS,  look  at  this,  and  then  look  at  Mr.  Dal- 
las and  the  false  public  opinion  which  his  speech  has  cre- 
ated throughout  the  country.  Brentwood  could  mu>ter  64 
for  Pleice's  Governor,  but  not  one  for  CatholUo  Eman- 
cipation; Northwood  152  for  Pierce's  Governor,  and 
only  one  for  Catholic  Emancipation;  Madbury  48  for 
Pierce's  Governor,  and  not  one  for  Emancipation  j  Wolf- 
borough  291  for  Pierce's  candidate,  and  only  one  for 
Emancipation  ;  Pittffield  228  for  Pierce's  Governor, 
and  7iot  07ie<for  Emancipation.  And  yet  wa  are  told 
that  it  was  only  a  combination  of  Whigs  and  Free-Soil 
er«  that  prevHnted  the  hosts  of  Loco-Focolsm  carrying 
Catholic  EmuDcipation  I  Did  any  one  ever  suppose  that 
fallen  man  bad  fallen  so  low  as  to  utiur  statements  so 
shamefully  false  ? 

JUST  LOOK  AT  IT. 
And  there  Is  the  siokeLlng  outline  of  the  Consitutlonal 
history  of  New- Hampshire.  Throughout  that  whole  his- 
tory Franklin  Pierce  and  Benjamin  Pierce  were  leading 
men  in  the  State,  tillinK  the  biiihest  otfices,  and  control- 
ling party  orgaulzatluna.  Benjamin  Pierce  fattened 
the  ^igma  on  toe  Catholics  ;  and  Franklin  Pierce  gave 
himself  no  irouble  to  remove  it — not  so  much  as  a  hu- 
mane man  would  undergo  to  save  a  blind  puppy  from 
drowning  In  a  pond. 

Will  any  one  who  has  not  yet  abandoned  all  belief  In 
veracity,  look  at  these  facta  and  compare  them  with  the 
arguments  put  and  kept  Btioat  by  Loco-Foco  speakers 
and  writers,  from  Dallas  to  Medary,  up  or  down,  II 
from  the  lowest  depths  you  can  ascend  or  fall  ;  and 
bear  them  all  talk  of  the  eloquence,  energy  and  toll  with 
which  Franklin  Pierce  contended  for  Emancipation,  and 
that  he  and  bis  paity  were  only  prevented  trora  carry- 
ing It  bacause  the  party  were  not  able  to  get  two-thirds 
of  the  votes  osrer  the  VVhlgs  and  Freo-Sullors,when  It  Is 
a  fact  that  Franklin  Pierce  never  opened  bis  mouth 
upon  the  subject  when  the  question  was  up  for  discus- 


sion, and  that  not  one-tenth  of  the  votes  cait  for  Pierce's 
candidate  for  Governor  voted  for  Emancipation,  and 
that  even  if,  with  the  above  comparison  of  Whig  and 
Looo-Foco  towns  before  us,  we  should  grant  that  one- 
half  of  the  vote*  cast  for  Catholic  Emancipation  were 
given  by  the  Pierce  party,  still  these  figures  would 
show  that  the  Loco-Foco  vote  for  EmanclpaMon  was 
only  4,783,  while  at  the  same  election,  the  same  party 
polled  30,999  votes  for  Mnrtln,  their  Pierce  candidate 
for  Governor.  Alas  I  "how  this  world  Is  given  to 
lying  I" 

OTHER  TOPICS. 
There  are  many  thoughts  crowding  uponme,  to  which 
I  should  like  to  give  expression,  but  I  have  already  de- 
tained you  too  long  ;  and  I  want  to  say  a  word  upon 
some  other  acts  of  the  Pierce  Loco-Loco  party  of  New- 
HaTDpshlre,  and  one  or  two  words  more  on  Charles 
O'Conor's  favorite  antecedent,  Benjamin  Pierce,  from 
whoso  veins  Franklin  draws  his  Democratic  bloodl 

ALIEN  AND  SEDITION  LAWS. 

Da  June  6,  1798,  the  New- Hampshire  Legiilature  met 
at  Hopkinton.  Benjamin  Pierce,  Franklin's  father,  was 
a  member  from  Hillsborough.  John  Taylor  Gilman 
was  declared  elected  Governor.  Benjamin  Pierce  was 
one  of  the  Committee  appointed  to  waJ»  on  the  Gov- 
ernor. 

June  7,  Joshua  Hey  wood  was  appointed  Chaplain. 

A  MINISTER  SILENCED. 

It  win  be  recollected  that  this  was  during  old  John 
Adams's  Administration,  when  the  "  Allen  and  Sedition 
Laws,"  "  Federalism,"  ic,  &c.,  agitated  the  country. 

June  8, 1  had  this  record  "  valed  that,  in  consequence 
of  certain  expressions  used  by  Mr.  Ueywood,  in  his 
prayer  in  the  House,  and  his  omitting  to  pray  for  the 
President  and  Congress  of  the  United  Strtes,  this  day, 
that  this  House  do  not  wish  any  further  set  vices  from 
him  as  Chaplain ;  and  that  the  Assistant  be  directed  to 
furnish  him  with  a  copy  thereof."  This  paised  unani- 
mously. And  thus,  because  this  honest  old  Republican 
preacher  refused  to  Insult  Heaven,  and  to  pray  for  t^^p 
authors  of  the  Alien  and  Sedition  Law,  Benjamin 
Pierce  voted  to  Insult  and  starve  him. 

Was  it  'or  this  that  Charles  O'Conor  praised  the  "  an- 
tecedent ?" 

June  11,  Gov.  Gilman  delivered  his  message,  in  which 
he  eulogized  Adams,  and  denounced  Foreign  Agents, 
&.C.  The  address  In  reply  to  "  the  throne,"  echoing  the 
above  sentiments,  was  adopted  June  14,  and  Benjamin 
Pierce  voted  for  It. 

June  16,  an  Address  to  the  Prnsident  of  the  United 
States  (John  Adams)  was  adopted,  which  says: 

"  Permit  us,  Sir,  to  express  our  rntir'  satisfaction  In  ths 
Hrlsdooi  and  energy  of  your  Adnv.iiistratioo.  *  *  «  It  is 
with  pleasure  we  cont'^mplate  the  increasing  firmDeM  of 
our  National  Legislature.  »  *  *  The  opposition  in  the 
State  of  New-Hatnpohire  to  the  Adminiatration  of  the  Fed- 
eral  Government  is  much  too  contetnptb  e  to  merit  the 
name  of  division.  <  *  *  Accept.  Sir,  our  united  declara- 
tions to  support  and  defend  the  constituted  authorities  of 
our  country  with  our  lives  aad  fortunes.  *  *  *  Long 
miy  you  continue  to  watch  over  the  safety  of  the  com  ma- 
nity.' 

Signed  by  134  names,  and  among  them  Benjamin 
Pierce,  Mr.  O'Conor's  beau  Ideal  "  antecedent." 

There  were  lour  nays  to  the  address — Messrs.  Lang- 
don,  Drowne,  Bartlolt  and  Sanborn. 

N.VTIONAL  NATIVEISM. 

In  ths  same  year,  (Nov.  24,  1793,)  a  Coramltteo  was 
appointed  by  the  Legislature  to  petition  Congress  to 
altar  the  Constitution  of  the  Uctted  States,  respecting 
qualification  for  Members  of  the  Legislature  (Congresi) 
of  the  United  States.  That  Commlitee  reported  Dec. 
26,  1793,  reconjinendtng  that  none  but  nalurat-bom  citi- 
zens of  the  United  States  tbould  be  eligible  to  the  Vice- 
Presidency  as  well  as  the  Presidency,  and  recomending 
also  to  "  exclude  from  a  seat  In  either  branch  ef  Con 
gress,  any  person  wh")  shall  not  have  been  actually  nat- 
ucadzed  at  the  time  of  making  this  ameudmiut,  and 
have  been  admitted  a  citizen  fourteen  years  at  least  at 
the  time  of  such  fle.ctlon." 

That  piece  of  ultra  Nativeism,  which  would  turn  Gen. 
Shields  and  Mr.  Suu1£  out  of  our  present  Senate,  passed 
the  New-Hampshi'O  Lej^islature,  with  Pleice's  vote,  and 
won  for  him  tho  admitution  of  the  Democracy  of  thU 


12 


WILLIAM   E.    EOBINSON  S   SPEECH 


day  and  the  endoraeinent  of  Charles  O'Conor ;  and 
that,  too,  was  passed  about  the  time  that  Emmet,  Samp- 
son, O'Conor,  (Charlee'i  father,)  and  MacNevin  were 
expec<ed  In  this  country.  Indeed,  pretty  much  all  the 
vindictive  kind  of  N«tlvei»m  and  bigotry  In  our  country, 
had  their  origin  amoo^  the  leaders  and  fathers  of  Hew- 
Hampshlfe  Loco-tT)coi«m. 

June  5,  1799,  the  Legislature  met  at  Concord — Mr. 
Pierce  again  a  Member  from  Hillsborough.  Governor 
(lilman's  message  again  denounced  foreigners  and  ap- 
poalfd  to  native  citizens  to  defend  Adams.  He  de- 
nuuocpd  the  Virginia  and  Kentucky  Resnlutlons  of  1798 
and  1799,  (recently  endorsed  by  the  Baltimore  Loco- 
Foco  platform.)  An  addrees  echoing  tbeee  sentiments 
was  CHDied  In  the  Legislature — Benjamin  Pierce  voting 
for  the  address. 

ALIEN  LAWS  INDORSED. 

June  14,  1799,  a  series  of  resolution  in  favor  of  the 
Alien  and  Sedition  laws  9iere  Introduced  Into  the  New- 
Ham  pshlra  Legislature.  One  of  them  was  in  these 
words  : 

"  That  if  the  Legislature  of  New-Hamp»hira,  for  mere 
speculative  purposes,  wore  to  express  an  opinion  on  the  acts 
of  the  General  Government,  commonly  called  'The  Alien 
and  Sedition  Bills,'  that  opiuion  would  necessarily  be  chat 
these  acts  were  consiitiitionat,  and  in  the  present  situation  of 
our  country^  highly  expedient.'^ 

Passed :  137  recorded  for  It,  and  among  them  Mr. 
O'Conor's  pot.  Pierce. 

JOHN  ADAMS  INDORSED. 

In  June,  1827,  Benjamin  Pierce,  as  Governor  of  New- 
Hampshire,  sent  In  his  message  to  the  Legislature.  We 
are  told  by  the  LocoFoco  presses  that  Franklin  Pierce 
wrote  his  lather's  messages.  We  have  already  made 
one  extract  from  this  mesaage.  I  quote  again  some  sec- 
tions extolling  old  John  Adams,  whose  Alien  and  Sedi- 
tion laws  were  so  popular  in  New-Hampshire. 

Benjamin  (or  rather  Franklin)  Pierce,  says  that  old 
John  Adams  was  one  of  the  "most  consistent  patriots 
and  ablest  men  whose  names  have  graced  the  annals  of 
amy  age,"  and  that  the  memory  of  Adams  "  will  continue 
dear  as  our  freedom,  and  lasting  as  our  Republic  ;"  that 
his  "fame,  not  acquired  by  a  single  enterprise,  but  gained 
by  the  active  and  ardent  exertions  of  a  long  life  devoted 
to  the  cause  of  liberty,  will  continue  to  increase  with  the 
diti'uslon  of  liberal  principles." 

PIERCE  OPPOSED  TO  GEN.  JACKSON. 

In  1829,  Penjamln  Pierce  was  again  Governor,  and 
Fraaklin  Pierce  was  a  member  of  the  Leelslature  from 
Hillsaorough.  Tnu  fatber  and  sun  bad  Itie  lead  In  party 
matters  in  the  State,  and  long  before  that  time,  and  ever 
since,  managed  things  pretty  much  as  they  pleased. — 
In  1824  and  1823,  Gen.  Jackson  was  up  for  President, 
and  we  have  it  on  the  authority  of  Isaac  Hill,  Loco  Foco 
Governor  of  New  Hampshire,  that  Franklin  Pierce 
caused  bis  father  to  take  sides  aganlst  Jackson.  At  all 
events  New-Hampshire  went  at  both  elections  against 
Gen.  Jackson.  I  presume  Franklin  had  very  little 
trouble  In  bringing  Ben  over,  as  he  had  originally  been 
a  "  Federaliet,'"  and  In  favor  of  Allen  and  Sedition  laws, 
Anti-Catholic  tests,  and  snch  Ne«Hampahire  Loco- 
Foco amusements  as  were  Instilled  into  Franklin  In  hU 
youth. 

PIERCE'S  FAMILY. 

We  are  told  that  Pierce  is  of  an  Irish  family.  This  1» 
another  falshood.  In  a  life  of  Franklin  Pierce,  in  The 
New- York  Herald  o(  June  9,  and  endorsed  by  Charles 
O'Conor  in  Tammany  Hall  the  same  evening,  we  are 
told  that  Benjamin  Pierce  "  was  born  at  Chelmsford,  a 
town  near  Lowell,  in  the  Commonwealth  of  Msssaohu- 
setts,  in  1757."  "He  was  descended  from  a  respectable 
Irish  lamily,  who  originally  emigrat-ed  along  with  may 
other  Irish  emigrants  from  Londonderry,  In  the  North 
of  Ireland,  and  settled  in  New-Londonderry,  New- 
Hampshire."  The  stupidity  of  this  falsehood  may  be 
seen  at  a  glance,  when  we  remember  that  the  London- 
derry tettienient  left  Ireland  only  in  1718,  which  was 
less  than  thirty  years  belore  Benjamin  Pierce  was  bom, 
and  his  father  was  an  old  resident  of  Chela. sford,  where 
no  Londonderry  or  Irish  settlement  ever  was  made. 
Nor  is  the  name  of  Pierce  found  In  the  llstof  the  London; 
derry  colony.  On  a  monument  In  the  Woburn,  (Mass.,) 
burjing  grottnd,  near  Ccelmsford,  I  find  "Benjamin 
Pierce,  died  1713,"  who  most  liltoly  was  Governor  Ben- 


jamin Pierce's  ^andfather,  and  died  In  Maisacfaufett* 
near  five  yeari  before  the  Londondery  colony  lett  Ire- 
land. 

The  truth  1«  simply  that  Franklin  Pierce  is  descended 
from  an  old  English  family,  and  will,  therefore,  be  the 
more  acceptable  to  those  who  think  that  nothing  but 
Anglo  Saxon  mind  should  rule  In  this  country,  and  that 
a  distinguished  Celt,  like  General  Winlield  Scott,  De- 
scended from  Scotch  ancestors,  a  people  of  a  common 
origin  with  the  Irish,  has  no  business  to  expect  honors 
here. 

Gild  forbid  that  I  sheuid  condemn  a  man  on  account 
of  his  own  birth-place ;  much  lesi  on  account  of  the 
birth-place  of  his  father.  Far  be  it  from  me  t->  hold  a 
man  responsible  for  the  acts  of  bis  fa  her.  Far  belt 
from  mo  to  needlessly  Insult  the  memory  of  old 
Revolutionary  John  Adams;  but  when  the  Loco-Focoi 
taunt  us  with  being  decendants  of  the  Federalists,  we 
may  well  remind  them  that  the  father  of  their  leader 
was  one.  When  they  ring  the  changes  on  Alien  and 
Sadltlin  Laws,  we  may  tell  them  that  the  lather  of  their 
candidate  voted  for  them,  and  stands  recorded  while  the 
Republicshallla^t,  as  voting  for  them;  Pnd  when  they  tell 
us  the  fa!sphood,so  tilmsy  and  transparentthat  the  Pierces 
of  Chelmsford  and  Wobum,  in  Massachusetts,  were  the 
posterity  of  the  Londonderry  lettlement,  we  may  ha 
permitted  to  tell  them  that  Sir  Boyle  Roach  long  ago  In- 
formed such  blockheads  that  posterity  could  net  possi- 
bly mean  those  that  preceded  us  I  In  fact,  the  friends 
of  Pierce,  finding  that  s  majority  of  the  American  people, 
born  In  the  country,  Intena  to  go  for  Scott,  hope  to  carry 
some  naturalized  citizens  to  vote  against  their  best 
friend  ;  and  they  think  no  falsehood  too  ridiculous,  no 
humbug  too  transparent  to  deceive  us.  We  thank  them 
for  their  compliments,  but  we  have  our  f  ye-teeth  cut, 
and  we  can  judge  between  right  and  wrong,  truth  and 
falsehood. 

ANOTHER  INSULT  TO  IRISHMEN. 

There  Is  one  other  New-Hampshire  LocoFcco  In- 
sult to  Irishmen  to  which  I  wish  to  refer.  In  the  Spring 
Election  of  1838,  the  Pierce  party  of  Concord  were 
afraid  that  they  might  lose  the  town  of  Concord  In  the 
election  of  some  Municipal  officers.  So  they  iniled  that 
the  foreign-born  Inhabitants  should  be  allowed  to  vote 
for  town  officers,  whether  they  were  naturalized  or  not. 
Accordingly  some  23  Irishmen  were  admitted  to  vote, 
but  17  out  of  the  23  voted  with  the  VVblgs,  to  show  their 
contempt  of  the  Pierce  party,  that  had  so  long  oppressed 
and  insulted  them. 

"The  Pierce  party  grew  so  Infuriated  at  this,  that  they 
passed  a  bill,  that  very  year,  "to  regulate  the  rii;ht  of 
suflVage,"  and  the  following  is  Section  2,  In  full,  which  I 
copied  from  the  official  records  : 

"  8ec  2.  And  be  it  further  enact'd.  That  no  Alien  shall  ho 
entitled  to  vote  at  any  town  meeting." 

This  law  was  passed,  and  the  record  stands  thus  : 

"Approved,  July  4,  1838.  Isaac  Hill." 

W.  L.  MARCY  AND  THE  B AMBERS. 

I  had  intended  to  dwell  on  the  insult  of  ered  the  Natti- 
raltzed  citizens  of  this  StRte  by  the  LocoFoco  Delegates 
from  this  State,  with  others,  whi»  voted  for  Wiliium  L. 
Marcy,  who  gave  up  the  Bambers  to  the  tender  mercies 
of  Gieat  Britain,  when  he  wp.s  Governor.  If  Washing- 
ton Hunt  should  now  seize  Thomas  Francis  Meagher 
and  hand  him  over  to  the  Britleh  Consul,  and  the  Whias 
should  then  nominate,  or  vote  for  him,  for  President,  we 
would  hear  some  Loco-Foco  music;  but  thia  is  what  the 
Loco-Focos  did  to  us  with  W.  L.  Marcy  I 

"OLD  CHIPPEWA." 
And  now,  fellow-citizens,  here  I  am  at  the  end  of  my 
time  and  your  patience,  and  mt  a  word  about  "  Old 
Chlpp-iwa''  and  "  Churubusco."  I  must  only  reserve 
my  fire  on  that  subject  for  some  other  occasion.  I  can 
only  say  that  all  edorcs  to  misrepresent  him  to  the  natu- 
ralized citizens  of  this  countij  will  fail. 

FORGERIES. 
The  letter  which  they  attribute  to  him  as  written  to 
Geo.  W.  Reed,  I  know— those  that  publish  it  know  it  to 
be  a  forgery.  I  have,  for  several  weeks  past,  had  put 
up  fifty  dollars  on  the  truth  of  my  aisertlon  that  it  is  a 
forgery.  They  have  sent  deputations  to  Geo.  W.  Reed, 
and  th^y  have  failed  to  get  or  to  produce  one  particle  of 
evidence  from  him  that  Scott  ever  wrote  that  letter.— 
They   haul  up   some   old   anonymous   srtlcle  signed 


ON   CATHOLIC    EMANCIPATION. 


"  AmflricuB,"  said  to  be  written  eight  or  ten  yeara  ago, 
atid  attribute  it  to  Gen.  Scott. 

Now,  why  all  thla  nonsecEe!  Who  cares  to  know 
that  about  the  same  number  of  year*  tlnce,  Smith  O'Brien 
was  a  Tory  ?  All  his  friends  are  contented  with  his  po- 
sition cow,  except  the  bonds  and  exUe  he  is  wearing 
and  enduring,  aa  badge*  of  hl(  tidelity  and  devotion  to 
his  countrymen. 

WHAT  THEY  KNOW. 

Do  they  not  know  that  Gen.  Scott,  four  yeari  ego,  In 
repljioi;  to  the  welcome  of  the  Common  Council  of  the 
City  of  New- York,  boldly  declared  his  friendship  for  the 
naturalized  citizens? 

Do  they  not  know  that  In  1848  he  wrote  a  letter,  which 
is  published  in  all  his  biographies,  in  which  be  declares : 

'•Certainly  it  would  be  i.-npossitle  for  me  to  recommend 
or  support  any  measure  intended  to  exclude  them  (the  natu- 
ralized citizens)  from  a  just  anri  full  participation  in  all  civil 
and  political  rights  now  secured  to  them  by  our  Kapubhcan 
law9  and  inaCitutloDs."  * 

Do  they  not  know  that  Gen.  Scott  is  now  In  favor  of 
giving  such  foreign-born  subjects  as  serve  one  year  in 
the  aiTiiy  or  navy,  the  right  to  vote,  In  addition  to  the 
privilpges  already  enjoyed,  and  having  the  general  nat- 
uralization laws  remnin  as  they  are  J  To  their  disgrace, 
be  it  said,  the  Loco-Foco*  are  opposing  this  measure, 
though  they  must  know  that  hundreds  of  gallant  Ger- 
mans and  Irish,  who  had  fought  through  the  Mexican 
War,  covering  themselves  and  their  country  with  glory, 
returned  to  the  land  for  whose  safety  they  had  fought,  and 
could  not  approach  the  ballot-box  to  vote  for  those  who 
are  to  manage  the  Government  of  their  country. 

Do  they  not  know  that  Gen.  Scott  has  borne  testimo- 
ny to  the  fidelity  and  valor  of  the  Irish,  Germans,  Sec, 
"Iq  maintaining  our  flag  in  the  face  of  every  danger," 
and  that  in  hia  letter  to  Robert  Tyler,  of  Piiiladelphia, 
nod  others  who  invited  him  to  the  celebration  of  St. 
Patrick's  Day  In  that  city,  he  replied,  speaking  of  the 
naturalized  citizens  : 

"  Many  of  I  hem  marched  and  fought  under  my  command 
in  the  War  of  lol2-'15,  and  many  more — thousands — in  the 
recent  war  with  Mexico,  not  one  of  whom  was  ever 
known  to  turn  his  back  upon  the  enemy  or  a  friend.'' 

The  Loco-Foco  partj  presses,  to  their  disgrace  be  It 
told,  tried  to  prevent  the  circulation  of  this  tkstimony, 
so  honorable  to  our  naturalized  soldiery— tettimony, 
too,  which  Is  supported  by  letters  written  by  Richard 
M.Johnson,  Zachary  Taylor,  and  others;  and  further 
to  the  sname,  and  I  hope  to  the  confusion  of  the  Loco- 
Foco  party,  be  ii  said,  they  reply  with  the  slander,  that 
the  Irish  deierted  the  American  flag,  and  were  hanged 
as  traitors.  But  I  have  not  time  nor  patience  to  deal 
with  thla  Loco-Foco  slander  as  it  deserves. 

WHO  FOR  SCOTT  ? 
Fellowcltlzenj,  General  Scott  commends  himself  to 
the  support  of  all  sects,  seclions  and  parties  of  our  coun- 
try. Since  George  Washington,  no  man  has  done  so 
much  for  his  country  as  Wlnfield  Scott.  His  blood,  on 
our  Northern  borders,  rescued  Michigan  and  other  por- 
tion* of  eur  Territory  from  being  what  else  It  might 
have  been — British  Territory.  The  gold,  and  riches, 
and  wide  Territory  of  California,  (raiUlons  of  gold  Bow- 
ing monthly  into  our  port,)  are  the  benefits  be  purchased 
for  us  by  his  unparalleled  mUltary  conquests  In  Mexico. 
Tbat  flag  of  England  which  has  waved,  the  emblem  of 
tyranny  over  Ireland  for  seven  centuries — which  now 
flaps  its  sullen  felds  over  O'Brien  aad  Mitchell  in  Van 
Dieman's  Land — (Jeneral  Scott  pulled  down  and  tram- 
pled in  the  dust  at  Fort  George.  When  the  Irish  soldier* 
under  him  were  taken  prisoners  at  Queenstown,  and 
were  about  to  be  sent  to  England  to  be  hanged  as  trait- 
ors, he  stood  between  them  and  destruction,  and  by 
holding  an  EDgUshman's  life  as  forfeit  for  every  Irish- 
man's, he  saved  them  frjm  destruction.  When  he 
marched  over  Mexico,  in  a  career  of  glorlou*  achieve- 
ments, his  dUpbtches  bef~re  the  battles,  becoming  his- 
tories of  the  victories,  his  course  was  marked  with  so 
much  wise  statesmanship,  such  enlarged  and  enligb  ened 
toleration  to  the  opinions  and  religious  peculiarities  of 
the  people,  that  terror  for  the  conqueror  *we  led  into 
love  for  the  benefactor,  and  a  whole  nation,  who*a  for- 
tresses, one  by  one,  surrendered  to  bis  sword,  finally 
jlelded  their  hearts  a  tribute  of  homage  to  his  humanity. 

"  How  shall  we  rank  thee  upon  glory's  page, 
Thou  more  tlian  Conqueror  V 


I  And  shall  this  man  be  forgotten  or  left  to  die  without 
I  any  mark  of  the  people's  gratitude  1     Sball  he  carry  to 
j  his  grave  the  British  lead  which  he  recf  Ived  at  Lundy'* 
Lane,and  receive  no  welghtleracknowledgementof  a  peo- 
!  pie's  grutliude  ?    Had  America  elected  Aaron  Burr  over 
:  George  Washington,  as  first  President,  or  should  Ire- 
j  land  become  a  Republic,    and   some  Peter  Brown  or 
I  John  Smith  defeat    John  Mitcbel    or    Smith  O'Brien, 
I  in  a  contest  for  the  Presidency,  we  would  vent  our  In- 
dignation in  language  which  shall  be  butblstorv's  echo 
on  ue  as  a  nation,  if  wo  elect  Franklin  Fierce  over  Win- 
I  field  Scott 

HIS  ELECTION  CERTAIN. 
But  I  have  no  fear  of  General  Scott'i  triumphant 
election.  My  great  anxiety  is  th*t  the  naturalized  citi- 
zens should  not  be  put  in  a  potition  now,  slmiiar  to  that 
which  they  were  cheated  into  In  1844,  by  voting  for  Mr. 
Polk  against  Henry  Clay.  I  believe  that  at  the  next 
election  will  be  polled  about  three  million*  of  vote*. 
The  whole  naturalized  vote  throughout  the  Statei  will 
be  sbuut  a  quarter  of  a  naiiUon.  U(  the  nadve  burn 
voter*  of  the  United  States,  I  believe  General  Seo»  will 
get  one  million  six  hundred  thousand,  so  that  be  Is 
sure  of  an  election,  if  the  vote  In  the  several  State*  be 
distributed  as  it  has  been  heretofore ;  but  It  Is  my  desire 
that  my  countrymen  should  go  for  a  great  American, 
with  a  great  majority,  rather  than  to  be  eternalty  uo- 
holdtag  little  men  for  smaller  factions.  And  why  should 
any  hberal  naturalized  citizen  vote  for  Franklin  Pierce, 
the  candidate  of  The  London  Timts,  which  calls  our 
Irish  people  half  civilized  savages,  their  religion  mum- 
mery, (as  It  la  called  by  the  Pierce  party  in  New-Hamp- 
shire,; and  their  priesthood  surpliced  ruffians  ?  Why 
should  naturalized  citizens  here  begin  to  wear  British 
manufactures,  to  enable  the  British  Government  to  keep 
their  country  In  misery,  and  their  patriot]  In  chains! 
Why  not  vote  for  the  Whigs,  with  Protection  to  Home 
Industry  against  British  Capital?  For  Internal  Improre- 
ments,  where  honest  poverty  may  get  from  the  l^easu- 
ry  a  part  of  the  hoarded  treasures  which  Loco  FocoUm 
watches  with  a  miser's  care,  or  expend*  oclj  on  erlsto- 
eratic  aSice  holders? 

OPPOSITION  NO  USE. 
Gentlemen  Loco-Foco*,  your  appeal*  to  the  natural- 
ized citizens  are  In  vain.  If  you  wish  to  kill  Gen.  Scott 
you  mus{  appeal  to  your  frier  ds  of  England,  atd  not  to 
the  republican  naturalized  citizen  of  thl*  country.  If 
Scott,  the  only  man  living  who,  with  his  own  bands,  In 
a  fair  stand  up  fight,  tore  down  the  British  fl«j,  Is  to  be 
hanged  to  appease  the  offended  wrath  of  England,  yon 
must  appeal  to  some  other  nation  than  Ireland — Irish- 
men would  rather  furnish  other  victims  to  the  scalibid 
than  become  the  executioner. 

You  cannot  tear  from  the  popular  breast  the  maternal 
love  for  the  children  of  It*  pride.  Nor  can  you  get  the 
people  to  support  the  Idols  set  up  by  the  Uerods  of  the 
Baltimore  Convention,  whose  hand*  are  yet  reeking 
with  tbe  blood  ol  the  alaughtered  Loco-Foco  innocent*. 
Michigan  is  leaning  on  her  broken  sword;  Pennsylva- 
nia Is  pouring  from  her  vein*  the  last  drop  ot  Demo- 
cratic blood;  lllinoi*  is  straining  her  eye*  through  iha 
magnifying  glas*  by  which  she  had  fondly  manufactured 
6  giant  out  of  a  Douglass ;  New- York  U  covered  with 
sackcloth  and  paichai,  at  her  unMircylul  condltloiL 
All  these,  joined  wUh  Kentucky,  Indiana,  and  other  dis- 
consolate mothers,  are  shedding  tears  lufliclent  to  create 
a  f'-esbet  In  Salt  River,  weeping  for  their  children,  and 
refusing  to  be  comforted  because  they  are  net  I 

No,  gentlemen,  no  ,  you  cannot  defeat  Gen.  Winfield 
Scott.    Nay,  all  the  tiadera  of  all   the  parties  In  the 
'  Union,  eomoined  against  him,  could   not  defeat  him. 
I  Your  Hulls  may  surrender,  and  your  Casses  may  break 
their  swords  on  a  Michigan  stuinj)  In  place  of  an  Eng- 
lishman, hut  "  Old  Chippewa"  Is  onward  and  upward, 
like  the  flight  <if  our  eagle,  and  the  destiny  of  our  Re- 
i  public.     Your  Pillows  may  throw  up  fortifications  on  tbe 
wrong  tide  of  the  ditch,  and  your  Pierces  may  taint  or 
fall,  (1  charge  no  man  with  cowardice,)  I  repeat,  they 
may  taint  or  fall,  whether  from  the  nature  of  the  horse 
or  the  fault  of  the  animal  on  his  back,  but  the  band  that 
tore  down  the  British  flag  at  Fort  George,  whose  finger 
I  was  the  Index  to  glory  at  Lundy's  Lane  and  Churuboeco, 
I  will  eatber  from  the  field  of  American  gratitude  a  rich 
I  harvest  of  honor.    Leaders  and  organ*  mny  *alter  or  be-   " 
i  tray,  bu         ePeople,  all  of  whom  can  think  a*  well  as 


14 


miSH  AMEEIOANS. 


any  would-bo  Icaderi,  reposing  confidence  In  the  hero  of 
three  wars,  and  the  statesman  of  three  great  epochs  In 
our  history,  will  carry  him  in  their  arms  to  p  illtloal  vic- 
tory. He  has  turned  civil  strifes  Into  nev^  Incentlvei  of 
uoioo  ;  and  from  the  fields  where  defeat  and  dlierace 
foretold  dflstructlon,  at  his  command  the  bird  of  vic- 
tory has  risen  Pheclx-lilse  for  a  nobler  flight.  His  vic- 
tories have  been  like  those  of  Scipio  Africanus — ail  won 
cutside  of  our  borders.  Before  the  enemy  could  invade 
our  territory  ho  strewed  tbeir  bones  upon  their  own. 
Alonsr  our  Northern  frontier  he  made  the  enemy's  own 
soil  the  scenes  of  American  victory.  And  southward, 
under  the  blaze  of  a  tropical  sun,  the  shining  track  of 
his  victorious  sword  Is  a  flaming  guardian  outside  our 
Soutbem  borders,  telllne  to  every  foe  that  every  foot  of 
our  Union,  between  Chippewa  and  Chepultepec,  are 
sacred  to  union  and  happiness,  and  free  from  Invasion 
and  desecration.  His  Is  the  inllitary  glory  of  a  Cesar, 
and  the  civic  virtues  of  a  Cincinnatus.  His  the  combined 
wisdom  of  that  old  Celtic  king  which  rendered  the 
name  of  Brian  Boroihme  an  expression  capable  of  the 
double  meaning  of  surpassing  military  genius  and  un- 
equaled  civic  sagacity. 


The  scIntillatloDi  shaken  from  bli  glittering  sword 
have  giren  light  to  the  beam  of  batiie  sufficient  to  eclipse 
the  glory  of  a  hundred  such  military  achlevfimenU 
as  those  ever  won  by  a  Pierce  or  a  Pillow.  While  the 
men  who  are  now  oppoting  him — with  or  without  the 
Presidency — shall  sink  into  historic  gloom,  or  rather 
fade  from  historic  light.  General  Scott — with  or  without 
the  Presidency — shall  shine  as  a  sun  In  the  perpetual 
firmament  of  his  country's  glory.  And  whether  in  vic- 
tory or  defeat,  ambition  enough  shall  it  be  for  me, 
(even  should  my  advocacy  of  General  Scott  forfeit  the 
friendship  of  some  who  would  befriend  me  but  for  my 
politics,)  to  have  sustained  that  arm  which  pulled  down 
the  felon  flag  of  the  oppressor  of  my  native  land,  and 
wiiipped  the  British  lion  back  to  his  lair,  to  growl  over 
his  defeat.  Enough  for  me  to  see  rise  along  the  vista  of 
the  future,  the  monuments  which  all  future  generations 
of  American  citizens  will  gaze  upon  with  pride,  and 
to  know  that  it  Is  not  my  fault  if  they  shall  not  read  upon 
that  pure  and  lofty  shaft,  which  will  yet  rise  to  his 
memory, 

President WINFIELB  SCOTT. 


IRISH   AMERICANS. 


There  are  at  least  half  a  million  citizens  of  this  coun- 
try who  were  born  in  Ireland,  nine  tenths  of  them  in- 
tensely hostile  to  British  supremacy  over  their  native  isle, 
and  regarding  that  supremacy,  with  its  natural  conse- 
quences, as  among  the  main  sources  of  Ireland's  unpar- 
alleil  misery  and  ilesradation.  Their  hearts  still  beat  in 
unison  with  those  of  the  National  party'  athome,"  whose 
orators  ami  journalists,  with  the  entire  sympathy  and 
hearty  assent  of  the  masses,  regard  the  industrial  and 
commercial  subordination  of  Ireland  to  England  as 
among  the  direst  consequences  of  the  fatal  Act  of  Union 
by  which  their  native  land  was  deprived  of  all  independ- 
ent and  substantive  existence.  These  call  on  their  couu- 
trynien  to  encouraje  Home  Manufactures  ind  Home 
Products  as  among  the  most  efTective  and  essential  means 
of  recovering  their  national  existence.  They  explain  to 
them,  ably  and  lucidly,  that  the  nominal  cheapness  of 
British  falirics  in  Irish  markets  is  fallacious  and  decep- 
tive ;  that  Ireland  might  fabricate  quite  as  cheaply  for  her- 
self if  her  peoplewould  unite  in  preferring  Irish  fabrics  ; 
that  by  so  doing  they  would  quadruple  their  ability  to 
purchase  and  pay  for  goods,  l>y  enlarging  the  demand  for 
and  reward  of  their  own  labor  and  signally  incrj^sing 
the  efliciency  of  that  labor.  They  demand  an  Irish  Par- 
liament to  legislate  for  Irish  interests  and  Irish  industry. 
In  short,  the  National  party  in  Ireland,  (in  which  terra 
we  include  both  the  "Old'  and  "  Young"  sections,  the  fol- 
lowers of  O'Connell  and  those  of  John  Mitchell, )take  es- 
sentially the  same  view  of  national  economy  that  we  do, 
and  look  to  similar  means  to  produce  the  desired  results. 

During  the  agitation  preceding  the  revolutionary  ef- 
fort of  16-18,  many  meetings  of  the  friends  of  Irish  Na- 
tionality were  held  in  this  city,  at  one  of  which  the  wri- 
ter hereof  presided.  A  resolution  was  handed  to  him 
while  in  the  chair,  pledging  every  friend  of  Ireland 
in  America  thenceforward  to  the  non-consumption  of 
Briiish  manufactures  and  the  discouragement  of  their 
use  in  this  country.  He  ohjected  to  put  it  to  the  meeting, 
not  as  improper  or  ineflective  in  itself,  but  because  it 
would  never  be  lived  up  to — wou  d,  in  fact,  be  only  one 
more  added  to  the  innumerable  mass  of  doughty  Irish 
resolves  which  have  supplied  John  Bull  with  amusement 
for  the  last  half  century.  But  all  those  around  him  said 
'■  Put  the  resolution,"  and  the  meeting  clamored  for  it, 
and  it  was  put  and  carried  liy  one  unanimous  yell  of  ap- 
proval. Five  thousand  Irishmen-born  nearly  tore  the 
iiirmiiigham  buttons  oil'  the  Lancashire  cloth  that  served 
them  for  vests  in  .-liontiiig  "  Ay  I"  to  the  resolution,  nine- 
tenihs  of  whom  have  worn  little  else  but  British  cloth 
cv(  r  since,  and  not  only  worn  it  but  voted  steadily  for  the 
poficy  of  keeping  this  country  dependent  on  Great  Bri- 
tain for  the  bulk  of  its  fabrics  and  metals  evermore. 


VVe  are  not  the  enemy  of  England.  We  render  full 
justice  to  her  great  qualities  and  great  deeds.  VVe  do 
not  doubt  tljat  Providence  has  assigned  her  a  lofty  and 
important  c'areer  in  the  future  as  well  as  the  past.  But 
to  that  policy  which  aims  to  render  her  the  focus  and 
arbiter  of  the  world's  industry — the  general  market 
of  raw  staples  and  the  chief  supplier  of  fabrics  for  other 
nations — we  are  intensely  hostile,  because  we  believe  it 
at  war  with  Human  Progress,  with  general  well-being, 
and  even  with  the  ultimate  interest  of  England  herself. 
We  regard  that  policy  as  tending  to  prolong  the  reign 
of  boorishness  and  barbarism  by  kcepin?  the  nations 
ignorant  of  these  arts  through  which  skill  is  attained, 
intelligence  diffussed,  knowledjre  increased,  and  a  just 
and  proper  independence  realized.  We  believe  that,  if 
Great  Britain  would  take  oar  wool,  cotton,  flax,  bides, 
wheat,  &.C.,  and  return  them  all  to  us  fabricated  into 
clothes,  shoes,  and  bread,  charging  us  nothing  for  the 
labor,  it  would  still  be  a  damage  to  us  to  have  our  work 
so  done  for  nothing,  because  we  ought  to  understand  the 
making  of  clothes,  shoes,  and  bread,  and  do  for  our- 
selves. We  believe  Labor,  in  the  wise  Providence  of 
God,  not  a  curse,  but  a  pract  cal  blessing — a  chief  instru- 
ment of  man's  moral,  intellectual,  and  social  elevation. 
But  to  this  end  it  must  be  redeemed  from  the  character 
of  mindless  drudgery — it  must  be  no  perpetual  round  of 
iteration  and  imitation — but  a  process  which  calls  into 
play  mental  as  well  as  physical  faculties.  The  people 
of  Italy,  like  those  of  Ireland,  are  naturallv  quick-wjtted, 
active,  enterpri.-ing  ;  they  are  degiaded  and  brutalized 
in  part  by  the  absence  of  that  diversified  and  compre- 
hensive  industry  which  is  essential  to  a  true    national 

I  life.  Belgium  has  the  same  religion,  no  better  soil,  and 
is  heavily  burthened  ;  yet  its  people  are  far  above  the 
Italians  and  the  Irish  in  culture,  comfort  and  thrift,  be- 
cause the  industry  of  Belgium  is  happily  diversified,  and 

j  the  surplus    products    of    her     ailmirable    agriculture 

I  find  markets  at  the  farmers'  doors  in  her  ample  manu- 
factures. 

The  London  Times  chronicles  the  wholesale  expa- 
triation of  the  Irish  from  Ireland  with  open  complacency 
and  thinly-concealed  exultation,  seeing  that  their  places 
will  be  taken  by  English  and  Scotch  farmers,  whose 
skill  and  knowledge,  acquired  under  happier  auspices, 
will  enable  them  to  obtain  larger  crops  per  acre  with 
less  labor,  and  so  paj'  higher  rents  to  Engli.sh  landlords, 
and  turn  off  larger  surpluses  of  produce  for  English 
markets.  Then,  the  expatriated  Irish,  says  the  Times, 
are  not  lost.      Driven  to   America  by  the   pressure  of 

■famine  at  home,  they  earn  better  wages,  and  buy  more 
British  goods  than  they  were  able  to  procure  in  their 

[native  land.    Pat,  who  could  hardly  afi"ord  to  cover  his 


lEISH  AiEEKICANS. 


15 


bones  once  a  year  with  some  tliree-penny  stuff  while  he 
lived  in  Ireland,  and  jumped  at  the  chance  of  earning 
ninepence  a  day,  when  tran.-ferred  to  an  American  Rail- 
road track  or  embryo  Canal,  aud  SPt  to  work  at  a  dollar 
per  day,  »ooa  clothes  himself  respectably  in  woollen,  and 
buys  gingham  dresses  for  his  wife  and  children,  causing 
the  heart  of  British  Manchester  to  lau?h  outright.  Bull 
has  a  habit  of  reirardinif  everybody  from  the  shopkeep- 
ing  point  of  view,  and  he  finds  that  every  Iri.-liman  in 
America  is  equal  as  a  customer  to  three  Irishmen  in  Ire- 
land ;  80  the  more  he  drives  into  exile,  the  greater  are 
his  trade  a-.id  profits.  But  he  does  not  seem  to  under-  j 
stand  that  the  uses  of  Pat  are  not  all  exhausted  yet-  ' 
Seven-eights  of  the  Irishmen  in  America  have  hitherto 
given  their  votes  and  their  efforts  to  sustain  the  British 


manufacturing  supremacy  in  this  country.  Without 
those  votes,  air.  CIny  could  not  have  been  defeated  in 
1844,  nor  the  Tariff  cut  down  in  184*).  By  tlie.-e  votrs. 
this  country  was  thrown  back  into  the  path  of  Coloniui 
.subserviency  to  British  ascendancy  and  British  policy. 
We  are  sure  the  voters  did  not  mean  this,  but  such  was 
the  tendency;  such  has  been  the  result. 

We  have  strong  faith  that  the  Irish  Americans,  as  a 
body,  will  take  a  different  course  hcreaflrr.  They  have 
at  no  time  meant  to  be  the  fervitors  of  British  policy; 
but  they  have  been  misled  by  the  specious  cr>  of  Demo- 
cracy into  t-upporting  a  policy  opposed  to  their  own  most 
cherifhed  aspirations.  We  trust  they  will  act  and  vote 
hereafter  for  that  policy  which  sustains  American  Labor 
and  American  Independence. — New  York  Tribune. 


i 


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